France plans to extend state of emergency
Tributes placed outside restaurant Le Petit Cambodge in Paris' 10th district Photo: Mayanais
France is planning to extend its state of emergency, following terror attacks in Paris on Friday night, which killed 129 people.
Five locations were targeted on Friday 13th November. The Bataclan concert venue was stormed by gunmen, killing 89 people, while attacks were mounted on La Belle Equipe and La Casa Nostra in the capital's 11th district and on Le Carillon bar and Le Petit Cambodge in the 10th district.
Suicide bombers also attempted to attack the Stade de France, where Germany and France were playing each other. Security stopped one from entering the stadium around 15 minutes into the match, but the attacker detonated the vest, with two others subsequently blowing themselves up outside the stadium.
France has been in mourning since the tragic events, which also saw hundreds injured.
Countries around the world have been lighting up landmarks in the red, white and blue colours of the French flag as a gesture of condolence and solidary. Today, France observed a minute's silence in respect of the dead, the injured and the bereaved, led by President Hollande at Sorbonne University. Other European Union members joined them in silence.
The London Eye, lit up in tribute to the victims of France's attacks Photo: PAHudson
French police, meanwhile, have been carrying out a series of anti-terror raids, with reports from the media suggesting that a rocket launch has been seized in one raid. An international arrest warrant has also been issued for 26-year-old Abdeslam Salah, who is suspected of being involved in the Paris attacks.
The raids follow an unprecedented move from the French government, as a state of national emergency was declared on Friday night.
President François Hollande declared the state of emergency in a speech made hours after the attacks, the first time that the measures have been introduced in several decades.
Hollande described Friday's events as "horrifying", adding that the country had "mobilized all forces possible to neutralize the terrorists and make all concerned areas safe".
"Two decisions have been made," he continued. "A state of emergency will be declared, which means that some places will be closed, traffic may be halted, and searches may be conducted throughout Ile de France (greater Paris). The state of emergency applies throughout the country.
San Francisco City Hall Photo: Paul Guillotel
"The second decision I have made is to close the borders. We must ensure that no one enters to commit any crimes and that those who have committed the crimes that we have unfortunately seen can also be arrested if they try to leave the country."
"The terrorists want to scare us and fill us with dread. There is indeed reason to be afraid. There is dread, but in the face of this dread, there is a nation that knows how to defend itself, that knows how to mobilize its forces and, once again, will defeat the terrorists," he said.
"I ask you to keep all your trust in what we can do with the security forces to protect our nation from terrorist acts."
The extraordinary powers granted by the emergency ruling stem from France's Algerian war in the 1960s and authorise the state to confiscate weapons, conduct searches of homes and business without warrants, close public spaces such as museums or Bars and shut down demonstrations. Local governments are also enabled to impose curfews upon residents, while public gatherings are currently banned.
Stenbock House, the seat of the Estonian government Photo: Estoniangovernment
The border controls will remain in effect until the end of November, with international climate talks on 30th November, which many overseas delegates are scheduled to attend, still expected to go ahead.
The law has only been introduced once in recent years: in 2005, following the riots in some of Paris' poorer suburbs, but it was only enforced locally.
The state of emergency can only last up to 12 days, though: for any longer period of time, the national assembly needs to vote in favour of its extension.
Today, BBC Europe Editor Katya Adler reported that the French Parliament "will discuss" the state of emergency, with "talk on French media of extending it by three months". Hollande later confirmed that he will table a bill to extend the period by 90 days, as well as increasing budgets for security forces, the army and also calling for tighter controls on European borders, both internal and external.
Tokyo Skytree Photo: Zengame
Should the bill to extend the state of emergency be passed, the rules could impact the day-to-day lives of those living in France, be they expats, locals or tourists. Around 17 million British nationals visit France every year, with the UK Foreign Office currently advising UK visitors to "exercise caution" in public places. The flying of drones and use of fireworks in the Ile de France region have also been prohibited.