On Friday, an organized terrorist attack across Paris left 132 dead and hundreds injured. As the world has watched this unfold from afar, tributes have poured out from all corners. Here are a few of the most touching so far:
1. A Charlie Hebdo cartoonist’s earnest plea.
Earlier this year, ISIS carried out a terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, the satirical weekly newspaper in Paris. Eleven died and another 11 were injured. After the most recent attacks on Paris, Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Joann Sfarr published a series of cartoons on Instagram explaining his feelings.
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“Friends from the world, thank you for #prayforParis, but we don’t need more religion! Our faith goes to music! Kisses! Life! Champagne and joy! #Parisisaboutlife”
Another cartoon, written in French, was translated to say, “Terrorism is not the enemy. Terrorism is a mode of operation. Repeating ‘we are at war’ without finding the courage to name our enemies leads nowhere. Our enemies are those that love death. In various guises, they have always existed. History forgets quickly.”
You can see the rest of the cartoons drawn by Sfar here.
2. The NHL’s pregame ceremonies.
On Saturday night, teams across the National Hockey League paid tribute to the victims of Paris in pregame ceremonies. In Montreal, the French national anthem was played as the ice was lit up in the pattern of the French flag, and in Boston, signs read #ParisStrong, referencing the #BostonStrong motto that was used after the Boston marathon bombings. Many French players in the NHL wore French flags on their helmet, while others showed solitary through social media.
All throughout the NHL tributes to Paris have been taking place, the chant is "WE STAND TOGETHER!" pic.twitter.com/Sx71uGzReD
— Doc Emrick (@DocInRealLife) November 15, 2015
The NHL players are far from the only members of the sporting world paying tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks. The San Antonio Spurs’ arena went dark for a moment before their game on Saturday, displaying only the words “Pray for Paris,” and the French national anthem was played before the American anthem.
There were many tributes in college football on Saturday, and the NFL has announced that there will be a moment of silence before all of the games this week. There are even reports that the league might relax its no-exceptions-allowed uniform policy if players want to honor the victims of the Paris attack this week.
3. This man’s rendition of Imagine.
As Parisians mourned on Saturday, a man began playing John Lennon’s Imagine on a grand piano outside of the Bataclan theatre, the site of one of the attacks.
As reported by The Guardian, “Davide Martello, who was in a pub in Konstanz in Germany when the attacks began, decided within minutes to put his piano on a trailer and make the 400-mile trip.”
He towed his piano with his bike through the city streets in Paris.
Pianist @Klavierkunst carrying his piano by #bicycle to play Lennon's "Imagine" outside of #Bataclan theatre #Paris. pic.twitter.com/8b7En70RcR
— Don Jacobson (@BigSurfDon) November 15, 2015
4. Saturday Night Live’s poignant cold open.
Saturday Night Live usually opens up with a comedic sketch, but on Saturday, cast member Cecily Strong began the show with a heartfelt message of support to Paris.
“Paris is the city of light, and here in New York, we know that light will never go out,” Strong said. She delivered the message in English and French.
5. The creation of the “Peace for Paris” symbol.
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The image of a peace sign embedded with the Eiffel tower has become the universal symbol of peace and solidarity with Parisians in the aftermath of the attack. The simple but moving image was drawn by artist Jean Julien and posted around midnight the night of the attacks.
“It was a reaction. The first thing that came to me was the idea of peace, that we needed peace,” Julien told Wired. “I was trying to look for a symbol of Paris, and obviously the Eiffel Tower was the first thing that sprang to my mind. I just connected both of them.”
6. The shining of blue, white, and red in cities across the world.
The Eiffel Tower went dark on Saturday, but cities all over the globe lit up in solidarity with the City of Light.
The London Eye lit up right now in the colors of the Tricolor in solidarity with France. pic.twitter.com/c9OMwo1dtc
— Jon Benjamin (@JonBenjamin19) November 14, 2015
Tonight our sails will be lit in blue, white and red, in solidarity with the people of #France. pic.twitter.com/wSEFWEI3OL
— Sydney Opera House (@SydOperaHouse) November 14, 2015
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, thanked those who have shown their support. “We are united,” she wrote on Facebook.
7. Madonna’s teary speech.
In her concert in Stockholm on Saturday night, Madonna stopped her show to give an emotional speech about the attacks in Paris.
“They want to shut us up, they want to silence us, and we won’t let them,” she said. “We will never let them. because there is power in unity and I do believe that as much chaos and pain and senseless violence and terrorism that occurs around this world, not just in Paris, as much as that does occur there is still goodness in this world. We are here to prove it.”
After her speech, there she held a moment of silence for the victims, and then played an acoustic version of Like a Prayer.
“Thank you Stockholm!” Madonna wrote on Facebook after the show. “Tonight’s show was difficult but there was so much love in this arena it made me feel like we were turning darkness into light. And that is our jobs as human beings!”