November 2015 Paris attacks

November 2015 Paris attacks

A series of coordinated attacks happened on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and nearby Saint-Denis. The attacks started outside the Stade de France during a football match. Three attackers tried to enter the stadium but could not. They later caused explosions.

Other attackers shot at people in busy cafés and restaurants in Paris. At the same time, a group entered a concert hall where many people were watching a band called the Eagles of Death Metal. They held many people inside until police arrived.

The attacks caused many deaths and injuries. They were among the worst in recent European history and were done by a group based in Belgium and Syria. The group said the attacks were a response to France’s military actions in Syria and Iraq.

After the attacks, France declared a state of emergency to help keep people safe. The country also carried out airstrikes against the group responsible. The events showed how important it is to stay alert and work together to prevent such terrible actions in the future.

Background

See also: Terrorism in France and Opération Chammal

France had been very careful about safety because of earlier attacks, like the Charlie Hebdo shooting and a series of related attacks in January. The country increased security for an important meeting about climate change that was going to happen in Paris later that year.

In the months before the attacks in November, there were some smaller scary events in France, like a stabbing of three soldiers near a Jewish community centre in Nice and an attempt to blow up a factory.

The Bataclan theatre had been threatened before because of its support for Jewish organisations.

In the weeks before the November attacks, a group had taken down an airplane and carried out bombings in another country.

Intelligence agencies in other countries had warned France that an attack might happen.

Attacks

On November 13, 2015, a series of attacks happened in Paris, France, and nearby Saint-Denis. The attacks began around 9:16 PM when three people set off explosives near the Stade de France stadium. This happened while a football match was going on.

Other attackers shot at people in several cafes and restaurants in Paris. These attacks caused many injuries and deaths. The attackers used vests filled with explosives and planned their actions from Belgium.

Perpetrators

See also: Brussels Islamic State terror cell

Three groups of men carried out the attacks. They wore vests with explosives. Seven of the attackers died at the scenes. Two more died a few days later during a police operation. One person helped drive the attackers but did not go through with his plan.

On November 14, 2015, a group called ISIL said they were responsible. They said this was because they were angry about Paris and because of military actions in Syria and Iraq.

Some of the attackers were from France and Belgium, and others were from Iraq. Some had traveled to Syria and returned. Police searched for others who may have helped plan the attacks. They found cars with weapons and arrested several people for questioning.

Main article: Saint-Denis police raid

Casualties

The attackers caused many injuries and deaths. About 130 people were killed, and many more were hurt. Some of the deadliest spots were a theater and several cafes and restaurants.

Many people were deeply affected by what happened.

Legal proceedings

Main article: Paris attacks trial

In 2021, a big trial began in Paris for 20 men who were accused of planning the attacks. The trial happened in a special room inside the Palais de Justice. Many people were expected to share what they saw. The trial lasted about nine months. All 20 men were found guilty. Salah Abdeslam, the only person who survived the attacks, was given a life sentence. Most of the other men were also found guilty.

In 2022, a doctor at a hospital had problems for using a patient's medical image online without asking her first.

Responses

Local

Main article: Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks § Popular reactions

After the attacks, people in Paris used the hashtag #portesouvertes ("open doors") to offer help to those who were afraid to travel home.

As had been the case earlier that year, the Place de la République became a place where people gathered to remember those affected and show support. A memorial also formed near the Bataclan theatre. On 15 November, two days after the attacks, a service was held at Notre Dame Cathedral, led by the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, with many important people attending.

Muslim groups in France, such as the Union of Islamic Organisations of France, said the attacks were wrong. The attacks changed life in some popular places and shops in Paris, and many people were worried about how others might treat Muslims. The sale of the French flag, which people rarely showed before, went up a lot after the attacks.

On 4 December, the Bonne Bière café opened again with a sign that said "Je suis en terrasse" ("I'm on the Terrace"). A worker told France 24 that the city had cleared away many flowers and candles people had left at memorials: "We didn’t want to keep things, but it looked too much like a cemetery with all the flowers."

National

Government

President Hollande asked the French people to stay strong. He visited the Bataclan theatre and promised to fight against harmful actions. Hollande had an urgent meeting that night and planned to meet his security team the next morning. The authorities told people in Paris to stay inside for their safety and declared a state of emergency. Hollande canceled his trip because of the attacks, sending other leaders instead. On 14 November, Hollande announced three days of national mourning. On 16 November, Hollande met with the Congress of the French Parliament to talk about the attacks and what to do next.

On 4 December 2015, the French government shared a guide, made as a cartoon, on how to stay safe during harmful situations. The guide was to be shown in public places and online.

In July 2016, the French government shared a report about possible security problems related to the terrorist attacks in Paris. The report suggested creating a single "national anti-terrorism agency".

In August 2016, the minister of the interior said that about 20 places of worship and more than 80 speakers had been asked to leave France since 2012.

Military

On 15 November, the French Air Force carried out its largest airstrike of Opération Chammal, dropping 20 bombs on Raqqa, where a group was based. On 16 November, the French Air Force attacked more targets in Raqqa, including a command centre and a training camp. On 18 November 2015, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle left Toulon for the eastern Mediterranean to support bombing by an international group. This decision was made before the November attacks but was sped up because of them.

French authorities shared information with US authorities about important people in the Syria-Iraq area. This helped the US carry out airstrikes to protect the planners of the 13 November 2015 attacks. The US agreed to help because they believed that if harmful actions happened in France, they might happen in the US instead.

Public

Applications to join the French Army, which were about 100-150 per day in 2014, rose to 1,500 in the week after the attacks, more than the increase to 400 after earlier attacks in January.

Domestic politics

All major political parties, including Hollande's governing Socialist Party, Marine Le Pen's National Front, and Nicolas Sarkozy's Republicans stopped their election campaigns for the upcoming French regional elections. There was a minute of silence at noon which President Hollande and several ministers observed at a ceremony at the Paris Sorbonne University.

On 18 November, Hollande said France would still accept 30,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years. This was despite some people's worries after the attacks. His announcement was met with applause at a meeting of French mayors.

However, in the campaign for the regional elections of France, starting on 6 December 2015, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National party, talked about strong security measures. She was getting a lot of attention with her strong views and might have been changing people's opinions across France. "The number of people coming to our country must be stopped," Le Pen told the CBC in an interview. Le Pen was doing well in opinion polls in early December 2015. Since the elections would start only weeks after the Paris attacks, she was thought to be gaining from the timing, when worry about harmful actions was still strong.

European Union

Main article: Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks § European Union

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said the European Union should not change its policy on migration. He believed the attacks should be met with a stronger show of liberal values, including keeping open borders. European Commission Vice-president Federica Mogherini and EU defence ministers supported France's request for help in military missions.

The United Kingdom said it would help France with operations in Syria, while some countries offered to help France by taking over activities in Africa. Germany announced sending troops to Mali and military trainers to Kurdish forces in Iraq, and on 4 December voted to send aircraft and a frigate to help French forces over Syria.

The attacks made European officials think again about EU policy toward migrants, especially during the ongoing European migrant crisis. Many German officials thought more checks were needed, and criticised German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while the German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel defended her.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he would meet with EU ministers to talk about how to deal with harmful actions across the European Union. Reports said that border controls in the Schengen area had been made tighter for EU citizens entering or leaving, with passport checks and screening against biometric databases.

Poland's European affairs minister designate Konrad Szymański said he saw no way to carry out the EU's recent refugee relocation plan. The new Prime Minister of Poland, Beata Szydło, said she would ask the EU to change its decision on refugee quotas. Szydło said Poland would still honour the commitment made by the previous government to take in 9,000 refugees.

Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said he did not support mandatory resettlement quotas.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka criticised President Miloš Zeman for supporting groups and spreading unfair ideas.

Shortly after the attacks, intelligence workers in many countries looked again at electronic surveillance recorded before the attacks. Adam Schiff, a member of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he did not know of any intercepted messages that could have warned of the attacks.

One report said the French National Police met with German police and intelligence services a month before the attack to talk about worries that harmful people were watching possible targets in France. The exact targets were not known at that time.

Police in Germany stopped a car on 5 November, arrested the driver, and took away weapons that might have been linked to the Paris attacks.

Some of the attackers were known to law enforcement before the attacks, and some lived in the Molenbeek area of Brussels, which has links to extremist activities. A counter-terrorism expert said that the fact that the attackers were known to authorities showed that information was "pretty good" but that acting on it was hard. The number of Europeans linked to Syria makes it difficult for security services to watch them all.

On 26 December 2015, a Belgian newspaper reported that a police oversight group was looking into why warnings from a school about the radicalisation of one of the attackers, Bilal Hadfi, were not told to Belgian law enforcement.

On 8 March 2021, Italian police arrested a 36-year-old Algerian man for helping the Paris attackers and for being part of the Islamic State group. It was reported that he had provided forged documents to the attackers.

Security changes

In France

After the attacks, France made special safety rules for the first time since 2005. Soldiers helped police to keep things calm in Paris. Some airports had delays, and some train stations were closed. Schools and universities stayed shut the next day. Big events like sports and concerts were called off. Famous places like Disneyland Paris and the Eiffel Tower were closed for a short time.

The leader of France announced extra safety rules to help keep everyone secure. These rules gave police more power, but also meant some personal freedoms were limited. These safety rules were kept in place for many months.

Belgium

Belgium also made its borders safer and checked people more carefully. Later, the city of Brussels had to close schools, shops, and public transport because there were worries about more attacks. People were told to stay away from big groups to keep everyone safe.

International

Cities around the world, including in the United States, took extra safety steps. Places where many people gather, like sports events and embassies, had more police. Other countries also increased their security to make sure everyone stayed safe.

International reactions

Main article: Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks

Many leaders around the world and groups shared messages to show care and support after the attacks.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to make it harder for people from Syria and Iraq to come to the United States. Some leaders in the United States also said they would not welcome people from Syria.

Muslim officials and groups

Main article: Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks § Responses from Muslim groups

Leaders and important people from Muslim communities around the world spoke out against the attacks. This included the head teacher at a big school in Egypt, leaders in Saudi Arabia, and the president of Iran.

The leader of Syria also spoke out against the attacks. Other groups fighting in Syria also spoke out against the attacks.

Related incidents

Hanover bombing plot

A few days after the attacks, a soccer game in Hanover was called off. Thousands of fans left after a warning about possible bombs. Many important leaders were supposed to attend to support France.

According to French experts, there were plans to set off bombs near the stadium. German leaders did not share many details, saying some facts might worry people too much. Police did not find any bombs. At the same time, another music venue in Hanover and a train station were also cleared because of safety worries. Two flights from the United States to Paris were sent to different cities.

2016 Brussels raids

Main article: 2016 Brussels police raids

On 15 March 2016, police in Brussels searched a house. The search was linked to the earlier attacks in Paris. During this search, four police officers were hurt.

Three days later, on 18 March 2016, more searches happened. During these searches, two people were hurt and another person did not survive. Five people were arrested, including one man thought to be involved in the Paris attacks.

Media depictions

After sad events in Paris in November 2015, artists shared their feelings in different ways. A French artist named Fred Dewilde wrote a book in 2016 called Mon Bataclan about what he saw.

A music group called Pierce the Veil made a song named "Circles" to remember the events.

Later, filmmakers made movies and TV shows about the days after and how people looked for answers. One film from 2019 showed a survivor being questioned by police. Another film in 2022 showed how lives changed for people in a restaurant. In 2024, a TV series told the story from the French Secret Service’s point of view.

Legacy

In November 2025, ten years after some sad events, a special garden was opened to remember those who were hurt. The garden is near Paris City Hall and was made with help from groups that support the victims. Leaders from France, including the president, attended the opening ceremony.

A few months later, some people damaged the garden by knocking over lights and leaving trash behind. There were also some hurtful words written on the walls.