About two months ago, on January 7, 2015, an attack was carried out on the French satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, in which twelve people died. How did people in Paris experience this day? We asked a DAAD lecturer and two students about their thoughts, feelings and wishes for the future.
Anna Britz is a DAAD lecturer in Paris and teaches German to students at the Université Paris-Sorbonne.
“I learned about the Charlie Hebdo attack during an exam my students wrote on January 7, 2015. I received the breaking news from the Süddeutsche Zeitung on my cell phone and knew in the middle of the exam supervision that something terrible had happened. I didn't really understand this short message in the situation and only sat down at the PC at home and read it in more detail. After the initial shock of the brutality of the terrorists and the human tragedy, I only really became aware of the extent of this horror when, towards the afternoon, several friends from Germany contacted me via cell phone and the Internet and asked if I was okay. Because I live in the 11th arrondissement - where the attack took place.
I would say that overall I was in a kind of state of shock, which was replaced by sadness in the following days, due to the events here in Paris, but also somehow about the general state of the world with all the terrible things that weren't happening only happened in Paris at that time.
The 'marche républicaine' on January 11th was impressive, where a feeling of cohesion was clearly noticeable. However, I would hope that this march was not just a momentary phenomenon, but that people would actually stand up for the values championed there, such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press or the peaceful coexistence of different nationalities and religions. Je suis Charlie should not be limited to France, but should also commemorate the victims of violent crackdowns worldwide.
Unfortunately, I have also had experiences with residents of the suburbs, the so-called banlieues , although completely independent of their religion or origin, which I do not know. At the 'Festival de l'Humanité', which took place in the notoriously difficult banlieue of Courneuve, my cell phone was snatched from my hand and my friends were kicked and insulted. Through young people's statements like 'It's clear that it was us Arabs again, it's always us!' and their aggressive behavior made me realize that the social problems in France, and perhaps especially in Paris, are a very real reality that is present in everyday life. Equal opportunities, e.g. B. with regard to education, I see the geographical isolation of poorly educated, socially disadvantaged and often immigrant groups as such a problem. Many young people fulfill a stereotype that already exists about them and live according to the resolution that they have nothing left to lose.
I hope that the government and people in general learn lessons from the terrible events. That the dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims, but also among the residents of Paris, is sought again, a way of integration can be found and the vicious circle can be broken.
I think that for many residents of Paris, but also tourists, the attacks were a blow, especially because the 'City of Love', the most visited city in Europe, the most romantic of all, was now shaken by a kind of earthquake . For me, Paris is a wonderful city whose charm you can quickly succumb to. But you have to take everything with caution and not close your eyes to the problems and grievances that exist everywhere here too.”
Etienne Sprösser studies German-French law at the University of Cologne and the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Etienne Sprösser studies German-French law at the University of Cologne and the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.“I have known Charlie Hebdo since my youth, since 2006, when the magazine published the Danish Mohammed cartoons. Overall, satire and defamation is a very common form of political reporting in France. The political satires, whether on print or on television, not only have great entertainment value in this country and the content they spread is actually taken seriously. Not least because they have caused major scandals to be uncovered in the past.
On January 7th I was in Strasbourg with my family. Like most French students, I was in my exam phase and I had planned to devote the day exclusively to preparing for the next exams. When I found out about the news, the learning day was of course over. I followed the events on the live ticker and tried to study at the same time, but as pathetic as that sounds, I was simply shocked and unable to concentrate on the exam material. I returned to Paris that same evening. On the train, of course, the attack was the only topic of conversation, and the large police presence at the various train stations was an additional reminder of the tragedy that had occurred.
At university we only held a debate on the topic in a single seminar. The professors ignored the events and immediately started teaching the material. For a while, however, the attacks were the number one topic of conversation among students, but I would argue that, at least for those of us who were writing exams at the time, processing was inevitably done through repression.
The problems that France is struggling with in view of the attack are of course very diverse and probably range from social and spatial segregation of some population groups to the failure of the education system.
It would of course be very gratifying if the current atmosphere and this desire for peaceful cohesion could last - but in my opinion that is utopian. The slogan “Je suis Charlie”, which united the entire nation after the attack, is ambiguous and can stand for the defense of freedom of expression, but can also be understood as a demand for greater security in order to prevent such attacks in the future. This dichotomy is currently also shaping the political discussion and I therefore hope that the attacks will not be misused as a justification for a surveillance policy that restricts freedom.”
Noémie J obard studies German language and cultural studies at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris.
“Wednesday, January 7, 2015
8:00
My alarm is ringing. After a long evening of studying, I find it difficult to get up. I'm still in machine mode. Motivation is zero, there is no alternative to coffee.
With paperwork in hand, backpack and scooter on my back, I go through my daily program in my head: exam, seminar, then work. Clearly: today promises to be a long one. The weather is bad and I'm making the exact same expression as everyone on the subway.
I finally open the door to the seminar room and am the last one again. As always. The task sheets are being distributed and it is already clear to me: in the linguistics course “Irregular Verbs of the German Language” my grade will probably not be higher than the fingers on my hands.
11:30
I leave the torture chamber and make my way to the Enlightenment course. Once again, grading homework takes far too long and gets on my nerves so much that I just sit through it with my eyes on my phone, hoping to be saved by a funny text message or some other little distraction. In these moments I thank the smartphone for its existence.
Breaking news from Focus Online: Paris, shooting in the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo
My head suddenly wakes up. That doesn't bode well. Unlike usual, I read the whole article straight away. But do I really understand what I'm reading correctly? Noémie, you know yourself, no matter how much you read in German, you are and remain the queen of past-the-topic translation. What you're reading can't be right.
Breaking news from L'Express: What I didn't want to believe has been confirmed.
7:30 p.m
Back home, the first thing I do is grab the remote control and watch the news from all the channels one after the other. Instead of chattering about our traditional Epiphany cake, everyone is broadcasting special programs. Only through the pictures, videos and eyewitness reports do I finally understand what actually happened today. Twelve people are dead. What a tragedy.
Yes, it hit me too. No, I never read the magazine, but I know that it was full of humorous drawings that satirized every social, political or religious group.
24:00
I go to bed, but I can't sleep. Tonight I don't feel sorry for France, I hurt. What I thought was inviolable is suddenly in question: freedom of expression.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
9:00
At the university there is a security guard in front of every door and stops us. Anyone who wants to go through the main entrance must first go through bag and identity checks.
10.30 am
Exam over. I would like to talk to someone about what happened yesterday. Since yesterday, I haven't spoken a word. But there are only a few who stay to talk about it.
11 clock
In the library. I just started working seriously to clear my conscience. I still keep an eye on my cell phone and it doesn't stop bringing me bad news: vandalism at the mosques, a policewoman shot.
12:00
Minute of silence in the courtyard. As in prayer, I wish this violence to end and I think of other places in the world. I turn my gaze to the sky. Some hold up pens.
Friday, January 9, 2015
11:00 p.m
A friend has planned a farewell party for tonight. Many have canceled because they are afraid. Not me. A Friday evening in Paris when no one goes out? This feels strange.
Come on! We Dance. I want to forget the last few days.
Ultimately, people went out the door and onto the streets. There were older people who found it difficult to walk, children who were on their first demonstration, and also me, a 20-year-old student, armed with a simple cardboard sign that I had labeled by hand: 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité' . Because the meaning of our nation's motto has never been clearer to me than it is now. Only recently have I understood what these words mean.
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About two months ago, on January 7, 2015, an attack was carried out on the French satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, in which twelve people died. How did people in Paris experience this day? We asked a DAAD lecturer and two students about their thoughts, feelings and wishes for the future. Anna Britz is a DAAD lecturer in Paris and
