NOVEMBER 13 ATTACKS, ONE YEAR ON | TF1 | Reportages

On November 13 2015, France was hit by the deadliest terrorist attacks in her history. 130 dead and more than 400 wounded. The entire world expressed its support for our country, a country traumatized. Left behind are the survivors, the escapees and the miraculously alive. Dozens of people wounded, in a state of shock and hundreds of grieving friends and families. How do you rebuild your life? How do you overcome the unacceptable? Stéphane, 51, is head of research at the Atomic Energy Commissariat. 260 people work under his direction. A successful career and two children in the best of health. One of them, Hugo, 23. On the night of November 13, his love of rock led Hugo to the Bataclan. He would not survive the blind violence of the terrorists. My life fell apart: to go and identify the body of one’s son at the morgue is something no parent is prepared for.” In an attempt to overcome the death of his son and understand the mechanism of Islamic radicalization, Stéphane meets another member of a family destroyed, whose son joined the ranks of Daesh, before dying in Syria, probably in a suicide attack. Stéphane doesn’t want to judge he wants to understand: “We are in France and young Frenchmen killed my son… But I don’t want to descend into hatred, or Daesh has won… I don’t want my son and yours to have died for nothing.” Right in the heart of Paris, at the Invalides military hospital, amidst soldiers wounded in combat, are some dozen civilians. François, 23, has not returned from Iraq or Syria. On November 13 2015, this rock fan is at the Bataclan. A bullet from a Kalashnikov breaks his hip in several places. Despite the pain, he tries to remain motionless so that the terrorists won’t spot him. “It was very, very long… I could feel my strength draining away, I had to concentrate and force myself to keep the will to survive. I told myself: no way am I going to die here.” After being evacuated by officers from the RAID, François spent 2 days in a coma and then long months of reeducation to regain the use of his leg and be able to walk again: “Take up a normal life again, get well, continue to go out… for me this is a militant act.” His family planned to catch up the lost time by celebrating Christmas a few months late!   As they were returning from an evening with friends, Jean and his daughter, Jessica, found themselves facing one of the terrorists who had just opened fire on customers at the Belle Equipe. “We’re there with the shooter aiming at us, wearing a black hood and holding a weapon: he goes to shoot. There was a woman between us… and she took the bullets instead of us… we learned that she died later.” Jean and Jessica were then among the first to provide assistance to the victims. “Jessica gave me her scarf so I could make a tourniquet for a young woman shot in the thigh… we probably saved her life, so at least we served some purpose.” Noumouké, 38, is one of those in charge of security at the Bataclan on the night of November 13. He takes up position at the entrance to the concert hall, when he sees the terrorists coming in his direction. Noumouké dashes inside the Bataclan. “When I turned around, I see them shooting at people like madmen, everywhere inside the hall… it was a war scene, terrible.” The security officer finally manages to reach a trap leading to the roof. He enables dozens of people to escape from the killers. “You can’t abandon them… there are women crying, people wounded, you can’t live with their deaths on your conscience. If I had to do it again, I’d do it.”“