The city of Paris is renowned worldwide as a capital of culture, food, art, fashion, and history. In museums like the Louvre and the Muse d’Orsay, the greatest feats of human creativity are stored. In bistros at every street corner, Parisians and world travelers congregate to enjoy and celebrate life. And in every aspect of the city, a rich history of freedom can be found from the Arc De Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower. This is a history of which the French are proud. As one of the first nations to emerge on this planet, France was also the architect of one of the world’s earliest and greatest documents of human rights, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. And yet over the past couple of weeks, Paris has gained a very different sort of attention.

On the evening of November 13, 2015, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks occurred in Paris and its northern suburb, Saint Denis. The attacks involved three suicide bombings outside the Stade de France in Saint Denis along with another suicide bombing and a series of mass shootings at four locations in Paris. As a result of these attacks, 130 people are dead, including 89 at the Bataclan Theatre where attackers took hostages before standing off against the police for three hours. In addition to those dead, 368 people were injured during the attacks, making this the deadliest incident in France since World War II.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant has claimed responsibility for the attacks. France’s president, Francois Hollande described the attack as, “An act of war . . . planned in Syria, organized in Belgium, perpetrated on our soil with French complicity.” ISIL explained that their motivation for the attack was French involvement in the Syrian Civil War and in the Iraqi Civil War.

As developments continue to emerge, reports suggest that one of the perpetrators entered the EU by slipping in with Syrian Refugees. This has fueled the anti-refugee sentiments of nations around the world including the United States. In fact, the US House of Representatives passed the American SAFE Act of 2015 in order to make it more difficult for Syrian and Iraqi refugees to enter the US. Although Obama and the senate are likely to dismiss this bill, it still reveals a frightening sentiment shared by at least 31 state governors that Syrian refugees “pose a threat.” In times such as these, it is vital to remember that the refugees are as much enemies of ISIL as are westerners.

All of this comes less than a year after the January 2015 attacks against Charlie Hebdo which killed 17 people. The people of France and the worldwide community continue to mourn in solidarity. Social media has called for peace and unity, and the French flag has appeared everywhere including illuminated on the Sydney Opera House. In such times, it is clear that humans are citizens of a global community. We must stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters fleeing crisis in the Middle East as well as those victimized in Paris. Terror has many victims, but if they can all stand united, we can bring peace. Thus, we must now more than ever stand with Paris.

Schmitt, Eric. “Paris Attacks and Other Assaults Seen as Evidence of a Shift by ISIS.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Nov. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.