Parisian streets are left empty as mourners stay inside

Parisian streets are left empty as mourners stay inside

IT’S the silence and the emptiness of Parisian streets that forcefully hits home that this is a city, and a country, in deep mourning.

Paris has woken from its nightmare only to find the horror terrorist attacks at the heart of lively Parisian 10th and 11th districts, the iconic Le Bataclan and the spiritual sporting home, the Stade de France, are but a grim reality. Parisians had adjusted to the reinforced military security that roamed the streets in the wake of the grisly slaughter just 10 months ago at the Charlie Hebdo office and a kosher supermarket. But even that enhanced military presence failed to save the most vulnerable on an ordinary Friday evening: families and friends enjoying a rock concert or dining on the pavements in some of the hip parts of the city.

Now no one wants to venture out in the miserable grey weather — they have been told to stay indoors in any case by President Francois Hollande. In deep shock many have retreated to their lounge rooms, watching for updates, fearful that further suicide attacks might be launched. “I feel very vulnerable,” said Karin Boublier, a 19 year old student who was heading to the train station to head back to her parents house in Normandy.

There are tourists wondering the streets but numbers are down.

“Most things are shut, Parisians are at home, see even the cafes are empty, ”says Claude, my taxi driver. He had been ferrying people to the Stade de France when the attacks happened.

On the first Eurostar out of London to Paris the fully booked passenger carriages were only a fifth full but the return trains were filled to capacity. Tourists have fled the central Parisian hotels seeking a more secure environment. Many shops have stayed shut: some out of necessity because their deliveries were interrupted through the night by the massive security operation in the city and staff can’t get in; others because it seems disrespectful.

Around the Bataclan, the scene of the most deadly attack, forensic police and medics were still bringing out the dead 12 hours later. The military roam the streets and have swarmed to the tourist hot spots to provide a reassuring presence.

An Indian tourist Bha Singh travelled with me into Paris last night, just hours after he had attended a mass rally held by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in London. Bha’s younger sister 19 year old Poonam and one of her friends were in France having gone ahead two days ago to take in the Parisian delights.

“It took many minutes before Poonam could get through to me and it was a great relief to hear her voice,” he said. “They had been to dinner in the 4th district and a waiter got all the people in the cafe to go down into the basement when they heard there was gunfire nearby. They are upset, and so am I. We’re meeting other friends who are in the south of France. We don’t think Paris is at all safe at the moment and we don’t think London is either.”