In the past 24 hours, Paris witnessed its deadliest attack since World War II. On Friday evening, terrorists attacked six different locations across the city, ranging from the Bataclan concert hall, a soccer stadium, and cafes. The death toll is currently estimated at over 129 civilians, from three attacks. President Hollande has declared a state of emergency across the entire country. Though the French government is still investigating the terrorist group responsible for the attacks, the terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility. With a campus in Paris and a significant portion of the student body originating from France and surrounding nations, NYU Shanghai has been greatly affected by the terrorist attacks. When word of the attacks reached Shanghai early Saturday morning, students took to Facebook and Wechat, voicing their support of the city, as well as confirming the safety of their friends and loved ones. Meanwhile, the NYU administration provided students online updates regarding the attacks, and informed the student body via email of students’ wellbeing and public safety measures. Charlene Visconti, NYU Shanghai’s Dean of Students, emailed the NYU Shanghai student body, stating, “We are in communication with the Office of Global Programs in New York and will continue to keep you informed should there by any updates. Please keep the Paris community in your prayers and thoughts during this difficult time.” NYU President John Sexton also reached out to the student body, “ I know I speak for us all when I express my heartbreak, bewilderment, and grief at the terrible, senseless violence that shook France late yesterday...Our thoughts, naturally, turn first to our own students, faculty, and staff in Paris….We have increased our safety presence in Paris, and will continue to closely monitor developments. Yet even as reassuring word has come about our students’ safety, we remember that NYU has been part of Paris for nearly 50 years, through food times and hard times, and never in all those decades have our hearts been more filled with sorrow than today. When New York was attacked on 9-11, everyone in the world proudly became New Yorkers; today, we are all Parisians…” When asked about her take on the recent terrorist attacks, French freshman Jeanne Le Galcher Baron explained, “People are really in shock. From what I’ve heard from talking with my friends and family is that we view this attack as our 9-11. I was talking to my parents and they said the shops were closed, and no cars were running. It feels very odd because the city feels really dead. In the areas where things happened, people have started putting flowers and candles everywhere.” When asked about NYU Shanghai’s response to the situation, she continued, “The fact that my roommate woke me up because she knew it was important meant a lot to me. I got a lot of messages from NYUSH making sure my family and friends were ok. This afternoon I also received an email from the Dean of Students, which was very thoughtful of her to do so. However, not being [in Paris] puts me in an awkward situation. Being far away doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I want to be there and go through it with my family, but at the same time I’m glad I’m not there.” Jeanne also worried that in addition to the physical and emotional trauma endured by the victims of the terrorist attacks, people would incorrectly associate the attacks of Muslim extremists with the general Muslim population. She explained, “I feel like I’m most scared about people getting more and more extreme. Since the presidential elections are in 2017, it’s kind of scary because people tend to think that being a terrorist from an Islamic organization equals being a Muslim. This is a wrong connection, which some political parties are going to use. That’s concerning.” Some French NYU Shanghai students have also voiced their concern that the attacks will ruin Paris’ reputation. Freshman Jeremy Teboul urges NYU Shanghai students to not only stand with Paris, but NYU in Paris as well. Similarly to Jeanne’s situation, Jeremy was awoken Saturday morning by his roommate informing him of the attacks. Jeremy explains, “We should stay very strong and help each other with these issues. I assume students from the NYU network are questioning whether or not [Paris] is a safe place to be. NYU has all the resources possible to keep students safe. NYU public safety is doing what’s necessary to keep their students safe.” Jeremy also commented on the immediate reaction of the Paris population to the attacks: “People are protesting. The president has declared a state of emergency, and that’s exactly what happened during the January attack in Paris as well. People actually want a change. In Paris we have a huge Muslim community, and the problem is complicated because it gives a bad image about the religion. They don’t want people to associate the attacks with their religion.” The entire NYU network stands by France in these difficult times and those affected by the attacks. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out to a student, staff, or faculty. As Jeremy notes, “It’s a hard and tragic event, both for the French community and the NYU network, but we still need to maintain our presence in Paris because Paris is an amazing city, and France is an amazing country. If we start leaving or stop studying in these places, we let the terrorists create more terror by believing what they want us to believe.”

This article was written by Lizzy LeClaire. Please contact [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Beatrice Urruspil via Flickr