13 November 2015 Ceremony

Focus

Mise à jour le 10/11/2025

Deux personnes se promènent dans le jardin mémoriel des attentats du 13 novembre, à la tombée de la nuit.
Crédit photo : Jean-Baptiste Gurliat / Ville de Paris

Sommaire

The City of Paris, together with the associations 13onze15 – Fraternité et Vérité and Life for Paris, wanted to mark this tenth anniversary with a commemorative ceremony for the victims of 13 November 2015, the survivors, their families and all those who stood by their side that night.

Introduction

The City of Paris, together with the associations 13onze15 – Fraternité et Vérité and Life for Paris, wanted to mark this tenth anniversary with a commemorative ceremony for the victims of 13 November 2015, the survivors, their families and all those who stood by their side that night.
We appointed Thierry Reboul to be its Artistic Director, so that culture – which took such a tragic blow in 2015 – could form the beating heart of this ceremony. This ceremony also marks the inauguration of the memorial garden for 13 November 2015 on Place Saint-Gervais, which will now, and forever more, provide everyone with a place of quiet contemplation.
For ten years, Paris and the victims’ associations, alongside the French State, have continued to remember. Year after year, we have honoured the memory of the victims of 13 November 2015. The City of Paris has supported this journey of remembrance and fellowship, staying true to its Latin motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (“Though buffeted by the waves, she does not sink”).
We would like to thank the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, for his presence and the unwavering attention he has paid to the victims’ associations and to the duty of remembrance.
This ceremony shared with the Presidency of the Republic, for the victims, their families and survivors, carries our promise of life and hope.
Paris and France will remember.

Foreword

When the Mayor of Paris asked me to be Artistic Director of the commemorative ceremony for the tenth anniversary of the 13 November 2015 attacks, I said yes straight away. Without even thinking about it. For how can you not want to contribute to such an occasion when you are given the opportunity?
The moments afterwards were more difficult. A sense of despair crept in. What was I going to bring to it? How could I be useful? After a few days of indecision, I simply went with what ultimately mattered: the people we were going to commemorate. Who were they? What did they enjoy?
That is the guiding theme I have tried to follow, with the compassionate support of the victims’ associations who welcomed me as one of their own. A time to pay tribute to the victims and their families, of course, but also to what they enjoyed. A time for friendship and sharing.
For sharing music to begin with: mostly rock, and mostly British and American. Then, for sharing culture, which was also attacked that evening at the Stade de France, outside restaurants and cafés and at the Bataclan concert hall. The key role of the arts and performers in a commemoration that would usually be more traditional, will, I think, give this tenth anniversary an emphatic resonance in keeping with the spirit of those to whom we pay tribute this evening.
This commemoration will be collective. We will be gathered in a common home, under the same roof, united. To provide a fresh opportunity for the unanimity our Republic so dearly needs. I believe that this will do us good. It will help us to live better together, for we must continue to live.
Thank you to the Mayor of Paris and to her whole team for their trust. Thank you to the victims’ associations for this shared endeavour, and thank you to the musicians and performers for lending their voices and talents to this occasion. Thank you to Victor Le Masne, Thomas Dechandon, Lola Breig, Étienne Guiol, Blanca Li and Mossi Traoré for their artistic input. And thank you to all the teams who have supported me in this delicate balancing act.
Please, enjoy the evening. They are in all our thoughts.
Thierry Reboul, Artistic Director of the 10th anniversary commemoration of 13 November 2015

Prologue

The bells of Paris pay homage.

Opening

A monument of rock music, dark and solemn, takes us back 10 years ago.
France mourns for its children and Paris remembers.
Music performed by Ann Shirley.
Lyrics written and performed by Jarvis Cocker.
Frontman of the British rock band Pulp, Jarvis Cocker was in Paris on 13 November 2015. Over the days that followed he would compose a song called “Friday 13th 2015”.

Requiem of lights

Designed as a secular requiem, this composition draws from the sacred tradition of this music while freely embracing its own style.
Written for voices, choirs, strings and organ, it harnesses an expressive use of breathing and silence, to create a deeply human piece, between quiet recollection and light.
Original composition by Victor Le Masne. Performed by the French Republican Guard Orchestra and the Radio France Choir.

Speech by Philippe Duperron, president of the 13ONZE15 Fraternité et Vérité association

“The remembrance ceremony marking the tenth-anniversary commemoration of the victims of the 13 November 2015 attacks has been organised in close conjunction with the victims’ associations. The City of Paris has always placed the victims represented by their associations front and centre in all commemorative events. That same mindset has inspired the adjustments that have been made and the formation of the victims’ choir, in particular.”

Song for those who has lost

Through an iconic French song, performed by a leading contemporary artist, we feel the weight of absence.
L’absent, by Gilbert Bécaud
“ Qu’elle est lourde à porter, l’absence de l’ami
L’ami qui tous les soirs venait à cette table
Et qui ne viendra plus, la mort est misérable
Qui poignarde le cœur et qui te déconstruit
Il avait dit un jour « lorsque je m’en irai
Vers les lointains pays, au-delà de la terre
Vous ne pleurerez pas, vous lèverez vos verres
Et vous boirez pour moi, à mon éternité »
Dans le creux de mes nuits, alors, je voudrais bien
Boire à son souvenir pour lui rester fidèle
Mais j’ai trop de chagrin et sa voix qui m’appelle
Se plante comme un clou dans le creux de ma main
Alors je reste là, au bord de mon passé
Silencieux et vaincu, pendant que sa voix passe
Et j’écoute la vie s’installer à sa place
Sa place qui pourtant demeure abandonnée
La vie de chaque jour aux minuscules joies
Veut remplir à tout prix le vide de l’absence
Mais elle ne pourra pas, avec ses manigances
Me prendre mon ami pour la seconde fois
Qu’elle est lourde à porter, l’absence de l’ami
Qu’elle est lourde à porter, l’absence de l’ami ”
This is a song about distance and loss, with echoes of a presence that is no longer there. The lyrics remind us of those we loved, and who will forever remain deep in our hearts.

Sous le ciel de Paris/Under the Paris sky

A scene dedicated to those we have lost, featuring the unsung heroes of 13 November.
Music by Dire Straits, with the track Brothers in Arms, which talks to us of comradeship, and choreography by Blanca Li, designed as a gesture of remembrance.
With the participation of :
Guillaume Cardy, Police officer
Didi, Head of the Bataclan’s private security firm
Sébastien Ferret, Fire Safety Coordinator at the Stade de France. SSIAP (fire safety and rescue service) officer management
Warrant Officer Anne Godefroy, Nurse in the Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP)
Sebastien Lacen, Officer in the City of Paris Sanitation and Water Directorate (DPE)
Sylvie Molenda, Psychologist and Doctor of psychology, contact officer at the Medical and Psychological Emergency Unit (CUMP) for the North defence and security zone
Philippe Picquart, Director-General of the municipal departments of Paris’s 11th arrondissement
Anne Pouëssel, Senior Health Executive, A&E Department, Saint-Louis Hospital, AP-HP Greater Paris teaching hospital group
Anne-Clémence Simonin, Volunteer at the Protection Civile Paris Seine association.
Maryline Touchet, Registrar at the Paris Assize Court
Instrumental accompaniment of Brothers in Arms by Yarol Poupaud, Ingrid Samitier and Victor Mechanick.
With the participation of the dancers Yacnoy Abreu Alfonso, Martina Consoli, Víctor Martínez Cáliz and Gaël Rougegrez, in an original choreography by Blanca Li.
With the contribution of Aurélie Silvestre.

Speech by Arthur Dénouveaux, President of the Life for Paris association

“We, the City and associations, have wanted to organise this ceremony together so that it reaches out beyond the victims, giving everyone the chance to experience a time of unity and quiet recollection. Thierry Reboul and his teams have planned this occasion to honour the memory of those we have lost, celebrate the energy of the living and help us to look to the future together.”

Prayer to the living to forgive them for being alive

A text by the poet Charlotte Delbo which speaks of the duty to live, read by the award-winning contemporary young actress Lyna Khoudri.
Charlotte Delbo was a French writer, a member of the French Resistance and survivor of the Nazi concentration camps whose work focuses on restoring the memory and voice of the deceased.
Lyna Khoudri is a French-Algerian actress who was born on 3 October 1992. She rose to prominence in The Blessed, for which she won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival, before playing the lead role in Papicha which earned her the César Award for Most Promising Actress. Since then, she has starred in myriad films, including as “Sonia” in November.

Speech by Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris

“Together, we pay tribute to the victims of the 13 November 2015 attacks, to their families and to those who survived. Alongside the associations 13onze15 Fraternité et Vérité and Life For Paris, I wanted us to mark this tenth anniversary with a ceremony honouring the victims, the survivors, their families and all the heroes who stood by their side on that terrible night.”

Song for the living

You’ll never walk alone. Tu ne marcheras jamais seul. A universal tune that became a classic in Britain after another tragedy at a stadium and the anthem of Liverpool F.C.
You’ll never walk alone, by Gerry and the Pacemakers
Performed by the Radio France Choir and Chœur du 13 Choir
When you walk through a storm
Quand tu marches dans la tempête
Hold your head up high
Garde la tête haute
And don’t be afraid of the dark
Et n’aie pas peur de l’obscurité
At the end of a storm
À la fin de l’orage
There’s a golden sky
Il y a un ciel doré
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Et le doux chant argenté d’une alouette
Walk on through the wind
Marche dans le vent
Walk on through the rain
Marche sous la pluie
‘Fore your dreams be tossed and blown
Avant que tes rêves soient chahutés et emportés
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
Continue de marcher, avec l’espoir au cœur
And you’ll never walk alone
Et tu ne marcheras jamais seul
You’ll never walk alone
Tu ne marcheras jamais seul
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
Continue de marcher, avec l’espoir au cœur
And you’ll never walk alone,
Et tu ne marcheras jamais seul
You’ll never walk alone.
Tu ne marcheras jamais seul.

Speech by Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic

La Marseillaise

National Anthem
Arrangement by Victor Le Masne.
Performed by Axelle Saint-Cirel and the Radio France Choir.

Inauguration of Memorial garden for 13 November 2015

The City of Paris and associations chose the square Place Saint-Gervais to accommodate the memorial garden for 13 November 2015. The garden’s commemorative spaces are organised around two trees steeped in symbolism and history. The elm of justice, recognised as a remarkable tree of the city, where justice was administered in the Middle Ages, next to Saint-Gervais Church, and the olive tree of peace, beside the City Hall.
Laid out to inspire quiet contemplation, this memorial garden for the 13 November 2015 attacks combines bluish granite stone blocks, which emphasise the enduring nature of the monument, arranged around living, soothing pockets of greenery. The garden’s structural design recalls the six attack sites. This urban garden is dedicated to remembrance and intended to evolve over time.

Finale

"My love is stronger than your hate will ever be", the heartfelt cry of the choir formed by the associations. A song of its choosing, to end the evening on a note of peace.
Shooting stars, by Rival Sons
Performed by the Chœur du 13 Choir
My love is stronger than yours
Mon amour est plus fort que le tien
It's stronger than yours
Il est plus fort que le tien
It's stronger than yours
Il est plus fort que le tien
My love is stronger than your hate will ever be
Mon amour est plus fort que ta haine ne le sera jamais
And my faith is deeper than yours
Ma foi est plus profonde que la tienne
It's deeper than yours
Elle est plus profonde que la tienne
It's deeper than yours
Elle est plus profonde que la tienne
My faith is deeper than your doubt will ever be
Ma foi est plus profonde que tes doutes ne le seront jamais
(Refrain)
We move through the world like
On se déplace à travers le monde tels
Shooting stars across the sky
Des étoiles filantes dans le ciel
Splitting through the darkness
Qui fendent l'obscurité
Putting a light into their eyes
Eclairant leurs yeux d'une lumière
My laughter is louder than yours
Mon rire est plus fort que le tien
It's louder than yours
Il est plus fort que le tien
It's louder than yours
Il est plus fort que le tien
My laughter is louder than your shouting will ever be
Mon rire est plus fort que tes cris ne le seront jamais
And my dancing is better than yours
Et ma façon de danser est meilleure que la tienne
It's better than yours
Elle est meilleure que la tienne
It's better than yours
Elle est meilleure que la tienne
My dancing is better than your marching will ever be
Ma façon de danser est meilleure que ta manière de marcher ne le sera jamais
(Refrain) x3
My love is stronger than yours
Mon amour est plus fort que le tien
It's stronger than yours
Il est plus fort que le tien
It's stronger than yours
Il est plus fort que le tien
My love is stronger than your hate will ever be
Mon amour est plus fort que ta haine ne le sera jamais

Acknowledgements

Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, would like to thank everyone who helped to design the memorial garden for 13 November 2015 and to organise this ceremony honouring the victims of the 13 November 2015 terrorist attacks :
The families and victims’ associations, Life for Paris and 13ONZE15 Fraternité et Vérité
Wagon Landscaping, Mathieu Gontier, Gilles Clément, Jean-Marc Dreyfus, as well as all the garden’s designers, craftspeople, artisans and gardeners.
Thierry Reboul, for the ceremony’s artistic leadership, Victor Le Masne, for overseeing the music, Thomas Dechandon, for the lighting management, Lola Breig and Étienne Guiol, for supervising the set design, Blanca Li, for overseeing the choreography, Mossi Traoré, fashion designer, for his kind contribution and Joachim Roncin for the graphic design.
All the coordination and production teams for the commemorative ceremony.
Choeur du 13 Choir, the Republican Guard Orchestra and the Radio France Choir.
TF1, FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS and Radio FRANCE, broadcasters of this ceremony; and Jérôme Revon, director.
As well as:
The Presidency of the Republic
The Prefecture of Police
The State departments and ministries
The Diocese of Paris
And finally, particular thanks are due to all
the City of Paris employees.
Fluctuat Nec Mergitur