Europe, Editor’s Pick



Four British women on a weekend break to Paris have vowed to return to “see the real city” after Friday’s terrorist attacks brought part of the French capital to a halt.

Anna, Hollie and Emily from Southampton outside a Launderette close to La Casa Nostra pizzeria, Paris, one of the venues for the attacks in the French capital.

Anna, Hollie and Emily from Southampton outside a Launderette close to La Casa Nostra pizzeria, Paris, one of the venues for the attacks in the French capital. Image by Steve Parsons/PA Wire

The quartet, who gave their names as Sam, Anna, Emily and Hollie from Southampton, said they would not let the Islamic State (IS) attackers ruin the city’s name.

They visited some of the crime scenes and left flowers a few yards from where bullet holes punctured panes of glass in restaurants in the east of the city.

Hollie, 20, said: “It was important for us to come to this part of Paris and pay our respects.

“We were here to sight-see and that hasn’t really happened, for obvious reasons. We just wanted to show solidarity with French people.”

The group arrived in the city just a couple of hours before the massacre began and had planned to visit the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower – closed since the attacks took place.

he Effiel Tower in Paris, which remained closed today following the attacks in the French capital which are feared to have killed around 127 people.

he Effiel Tower in Paris, which remained closed today following the attacks in the French capital which are feared to have killed around 127 people. Image by Steve Parsons/PA Wire

A tearful Anna, also 20, said: “This is not the Paris we know around the world. The terrorists who did this will not win.

“This is an amazing city and a terrorist attack will not change that.”

The group had been planning to head home on Monday but have since moved that forward to today.

Sam, 21, added: “We have all obviously been getting a lot of calls and texts from home. People are worried, obviously.

“But some people are saying this is probably the safest place we can be right now.

“It seems like the right thing to do to go home. It’s not right to go sightseeing here and having fun in these circumstances. Everyone’s mood is low.”

Emily, 20, making her second visit to Paris, said: “I came here last year and had a brilliant time, so this is very different.

“We don’t feel unsafe at all. This hasn’t ruined Paris for us. We will be back. This is a beautiful city.”

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