France marks first anniversary of Paris terror attacks

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) – Saturday will see the reopening of a Parisian music venue where 90 concertgoers were murdered by gunmen linked to Daesh last year.

The Bataclan concert hall will host a performance by British rock star Sting.

It was just one of a host of sites attacked by terrorists in November last year. One hundred and thirty people were killed and hundreds injured in coordinated attacks on Nov. 13, 2015 by terrorists linked to Daesh.

Sunday will mark the first anniversary of the deadly attacks. France has planned various events to remember the dead.

Commemorative plaques featuring the victims’ names will be placed at each attacked site including targeted cafes and restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and the Stade de France in Seine-Saint-Denis.

There will also be a "lantern ceremony" along the Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement, close to the targeted restaurants.

A victims’ association -- 3onze15 Fraternite et verite -- called on the French public to place a lit candle in their windows "as a show of support and to also say 'I won't forget'".

According to French health officials, at least 600 people are still receiving counseling for psychological trauma. Of those wounded, as many as 20 are still receiving medical treatment.

The state is considering the cases of 2,800 people who applied for compensation from a fund set up for the victims of terror attacks. So far it has paid out €43.8 million ($47.5 million) in compensation to victims, out of a predicted total of between €300 and €400 million ($326 - $434 million).

The first official tribute to the victims took place at Stade de France on Friday night at a 2018 World Cup qualifying fixture between France and Sweden.

A minute of silence was held in homage to the victims before kick-off.

The government is also to unveil a website displaying thousands of tributes collected at memorial sites which sprung up after the attacks.

Nine of the known attackers and four key accomplices are dead, while eight suspects are in custody in France and six elsewhere, including two in Belgium.

The sole surviving suspect, Belgian-born French national Salah Abdeslam, was arrested in Brussels in March and extradited to Paris, where he remains in custody.