PARIS, France – Paris is at the center of the world.
An outpouring of sympathy continues to flow toward the “City of Love” following the horrific terror attacks in early November.
At the same time, all eyes are on a landmark international climate change conference taking place in the outskirts of the city.
I’ve been walking around Paris for all of a day and a half and I can already sense an electric tension in the air.
Posters bearing the green leaf logo of the climate summit, also known as COP21, are stamped all over train stations, bus stations, sidewalks. Even the Eiffel tower beams messages about climate action. Art galleries and bookstores hold their own climate-related events.
Journalists, volunteers, advocacy groups continue arriving in hotels in droves.
Men in black, wearing vests and boots, guard the buses taking COP21 participants to the conference venue.
They look like the same men guarding the Bataclan Cafe in Boulevard Voltaire where tourists and Parisians continue to light candles and whisper prayers for the victims of the recent terror attacks.
The Bataclan was the site of the worst of the simultaneous attacks. Of the more than 120 people who died that night, 80 died in the music hall.
On the day I visit, the crowd in front of the cafe entrance is so large they cause a traffic jam. Some stare at the restaurant in silence, others pull out their smartphones and solemnly take photos. Others light candles.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shrine for Paris terror attacks at the base of the Marianne statue, symbol of the French Republic <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/prayforparis?src=hash">#prayforparis</a> <a href="https://t.co/MHLhVGNtbs">pic.twitter.com/MHLhVGNtbs</a></p>— Pia Ranada (@piaranada) <a href="https://twitter.com/piaranada/status/673557081740414977">December 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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A rebellion
Smaller “shrines” dot the Boulevard Voltaire. Everyone stops to take a look. It’s as if the shrines have become Paris’ newest must-sees.
Nowhere is this most apparent than further down the road where the largest of the shrines spreads out at the feet of the Marianne statue in the Place de la Republique, one of the most iconic monuments in Paris.
Countless bouquets, French flags, rainbow peace flags, candles, written messages, spray-painted messages, photos of the terror victims lie beneath Marianne, the personification of the French Republican and the 3 statues personifying France’s most revered values – liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Well-wishers and the victims’ loved ones have added their own values – peace, love, tolerance – values that resonate with all countries of the world.
The lion at the base of the statue appears to be guarding these messages as human visitors form a ring of silent but devoted attention. But there are human guardians as well, men and women dutifully scraping off burnt-through candles, arranging flowers and cards.
The scene commemorates grief but I found myself feeling happiness because of the rebellion the monument was staging – a rebellion against forces seeking to destroy the human values most worth protecting.
The statue, buoyed by the lovingly placed flowers and cards, stands like a stubborn ship in the midst of a storm.
But the bloodshed has left other marks on the City of Light. My Parisian friend tells me there are around 30% less people attending concerts, shows, or other public gatherings.
He says though Parisians are scared, they try not to show it, in order to "fight it."
I am in Paris to cover the climate change conference taking place around 10 kilometers from the Place dela Republique. But I feel one can’t cover the conference without understanding the impact of the terror attacks to Paris and the rest of the world. (READ: Rappler's coverage of #COP21)
After all, the conference was in danger of being cancelled because the attacks happened just a few weeks before its opening.
Some world leaders mentioned the terror attacks in their speeches at the start of the summit.
US President Barack Obama even visited Bataclan Cafe with French President Francois Hollande after arriving in Paris for COP21.
Tony La Viña, spokesman of the Philippine delegation to the conference, said it best during an interview.
“The world cannot afford to be in disarray in Paris. There’s a sense that we have to be in solidarity with the French and with each other to combat the problems and the challenges of the world,” he told me.
Unified humanity
In a world of increasing complexity and connectivity, issues are interlacing with one another, creating a ripple effect.
The violence in Paris has, in many ways, heightened the sense of urgency in the climate conference.
The fight to keep hateful elements at bay is the same fight to steer humanity away from its self-destructive way of living. It’s a fight against greed, selfishness, hatred, and denial.
Both battles require humanity to unite and protect life – whether it's the lives of innocent citizens or all forms of life on this planet.
The battles continue.
Today, the climate conference transitions into its second and most difficult week. Negotiators representing over 190 countries will try to arrive at the world's action plan against global warming by December 11.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Street artists liven up a crowd across the street from a shrine for Paris terror attack victims <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/prayforparis?src=hash">#prayforparis</a> <a href="https://t.co/RXoNT29Wtc">pic.twitter.com/RXoNT29Wtc</a></p>— Pia Ranada (@piaranada) <a href="https://twitter.com/piaranada/status/673555001424375808">December 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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A few steps away from the Place dela Republique, I come upon lively street artists entertaining a crowd.
The exuberant blare of their trumpets is a declaration that France, and the world, is not yet defeated. – Rappler.com