Nearly 1,800 civil parties, more than 300 lawyers to represent them, hundreds of journalists and 20 defendants.
On September 8, a historic trial begins: that of the attacks of November 13, 2015. This is the worst attack perpetrated on French soil since World War II, which left 130 dead and hundreds wounded at Bataclan, on the café terraces in Paris and at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
This long judicial episode, which should last nine months, is an opportunity to look into the traces left by these attacks in the minds of the French.
Back in pictures on the dramatic events of the night of November 13, 2015
03:29
Laura Nattiez, research engineer in sociology at the CNRS and author of the book "November 13 - Testimonies, a story", published in 2020 (ed. Odile Jacob), returns for France 24 on these traumatic collective imprints.
France 24: The trial of the attacks of November 13, which opens on September 8, is it an important step in the process of individual and collective mourning?
Laura Nattiez:
The trial will be extremely important both for the direct victims who have lost a loved one and for French society in general. Symbolically, a trial is a moment when the Nation will look into the facts, recognize the guilty and, if necessary, repair the victims. One of the first virtues of the trial is to replace the facts to understand exactly what happened. The trial of the Madrid attacks in 2007 (Editor's note: on March 11, 2004) allowed the fanciful versions to be swept away. On the other hand, the attacks of 9/11 in New York, which have not been the subject of a trial, have spawned more alternative theories which continue to circulate on social networks. It is therefore important that a society stops to look at the facts and recognize the culprits and the victims.It is a capital step both at the individual level and at the societal level. The health crisis made it impossible to continue commemorating the attacks. But the victims seem less attached to it than to the trial. All relatives expect a lot.
Commemorations in select committee in 2020 due to the health crisis
02:13
Six years later, is the memory of the attacks of November 13 still so vivid in the memory of the French
?
Laura Nattiez:
Among all the attacks that have occurred since the 2000s, it is the attacks of November 13 that have marked the French the most, according to a study by Crédoc (Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions) . Everyone can indeed say what he was doing when he learned of the attacks, proof of the traumatic importance of the events. This very strong imprint in French society can be explained. The number of deaths or the significant media coverage that has been made of them are not enough to understand the reasons for this anchoring in the collective memory. Because the Nice attack was also very deadly with 86 dead. Charlie's attacks were also highly publicized.But the attacks of November 13th left an even greater mark on the collective memory because it was the first attacks perpetrated on French soil that struck blindly. Before that, we attacked journalists (Charlie Hebdo), Jews (Toulouse), soldiers (Montauban), police officers (Rambouillet, Magnanville, Paris) or, more recently, a teacher. (Samuel Paty). Terrorists hit symbols before people. Hitting anyone in the November 13 attacks gave everyone the opportunity to identify with the victims.to a teacher (Samuel Paty). Terrorists hit symbols before people. Hitting anyone in the November 13 attacks gave everyone the opportunity to identify with the victims.to a teacher (Samuel Paty). Terrorists hit symbols before people. Hitting anyone in the November 13 attacks gave everyone the opportunity to identify with the victims.
But this collective memory has evolved. Over the years, it has gradually forgotten the terraces and the Stade de France to retain only the Bataclan. We often speak of the Paris attacks in a somewhat vague way or the Bataclan attacks. Several reasons explain these oversights. It was at the Bataclan that there were the most deaths but also the most stories to transcribe the event. It was also in this concert hall in the 11th arrondissement that the attack lasted the longest. It is however very important to rehabilitate the facts and to remember that it is a multisite attack so that the victims of the terraces and that of the Stade de France are not forgotten. Once again, the trial will be an excellent opportunity to get back to the facts in order to avoid memory distortions.
The tributes of the families and relatives of the victims in 2018, three years after the tragedy
Has the perception of daily life of Parisians and French people
in general
changed since his attacks?
Laura Nattiez:
A few weeks after the attacks, there was obviously still fear among Parisians when they had to take the metro or go to a public place. Everyone lived in a state of bewilderment. Over time, the anxieties subsided. Nevertheless, we can say that a concern remains: when they get on a train, sit on the terrace of a cafe or take part in a demonstration, the Parisians questioned in various surveys always state that they are asking questions about possible risks. . These thoughts did not exist before. They first appeared among Parisians after the attacks of November 13 before reaching the entire French population after the Nice attacks of July 14, 2016: these attacks made the French aware that the entire territory could be touched.However, the people questioned also ensure that they do not take any special precautions. They continue to live as before.
Obviously, there remains a great heterogeneity of perceptions.
But if I stick to the last interviews I conducted with a number of victims in 2018, there is a real desire for social cohesion.
We could have expected a withdrawal into oneself but the people who testified, on the contrary, showed a willingness to come together, despite fear and pain.
The witnesses interviewed also displayed a very clear desire not to fall into the amalgamations between Muslims and terrorists.
If these victims clearly expressed their difficulties in living in Paris or in a big city after the attacks, these attacks did not provoke a massive desire of Parisians to leave the capital.
It seems to me - this is only a hypothesis at this stage - that the pandemic and the lockdowns have caused more movements.
It will also be interesting to see if the health crisis and these confinements have caused changes in the behavior of Parisians and French people in general vis-à-vis these terrorist thoughts.
It is very likely that the pandemic has also left a new imprint on people's minds, such as a desire for lightness, to live more intensely.
The new series of interviews that I have to start in September will certainly be able to bring new elements of knowledge.
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