A decade after the Bataclan attacks, France is still grappling with how to remember

"Denouveaux was one of around 1,500 people inside the Bataclan concert hall to see the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal, when gunmen linked to the Islamic State opened fire. What he remembers next are fragments. There was the muzzle flash coming out of the gunmen's Kalashnikovs. Being pushed to the floor as the crowd scrambled. A girl "completely lost," staring toward the shooters before others pulled her down."

"Across Paris that night, 130 people were killed at cafes, the national soccer stadium and the Bataclan. Ten years later, France is still wrestling with how to remember the deadliest attack on its soil in modern history and how to live with it. The country has built an extensive system of remembrance. There have been books, documentaries, plaques and memorials across the city."

Arthur Denouveaux vividly recalls fragments of the Nov. 13, 2015 massacre at the Bataclan, including muzzle flashes, being pushed to the floor, and crawling outside into the Paris night. Across Paris, attackers killed 130 people at cafes, the national stadium and the Bataclan. France has established extensive remembrance through books, documentaries, plaques, memorials and a new garden behind City Hall. A 10-month terrorism trial in 2022 convicted 20 men. President Macron visited attack sites and residents continue to place flowers and candles. New research indicates details are fading from collective memory and examines PTSD recovery factors.

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