French president unveils commemorative plaque at Salvation Army centre
French president unveils commemorative plaque at Salvation Army centre
17 November 2016
The Salvation Army has been part of ceremonies marking the first anniversary of the Paris terrorist attacks.
The Salvation Army’s historic Le Palais de la Femme social services centre in Paris, France, is now the site of a commemorative plaque to remember 21 people killed in a terror attack on the La Belle Équipe restaurant and bar on 13 November 2015.
This was the night when gunmen killed 90 people at the Bataclan music venue, launched attacks on a number of other places in Paris and attempted to enter the Stade de France football stadium.
Le Palais de la Femme is directly across the street from La Belle Équipe.
Colonel Daniel Naud (Territorial Commander, France and Belgium Territory) explains: “The Town Hall of Paris asked us whether we would accept to have the commemorative plaque fixed on the Palais de la Femme wall and – without hesitation – we responded affirmatively.”
The plaque was unveiled by the President of France, François Hollande, after a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of attacks. Also present were the Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and other senior figures, along with the families of those who were killed and members of the emergency services. Local Parisians left floral tributes (pictured above) near the commemorative plaque during the ceremony.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, after a minute’s silence, President Hollande shook hands with people who had gathered. Spotting Colonel Naud, the president sought him out to offer warm words of appreciation to The Salvation Army for its work at Le Palais de la Femme and for allowing the plaque to be attached to its wall.
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