Vancouver French community shows strength, solidarity following Nice attack

Before a lorry truck plowed through a crowd of Bastille Day revelers in Nice, France, Thursday night, the Vancouver French community was happily celebrating the national holiday at downtown’s Roundhouse Community Centre.

As the news of the deadly terror attack made its way to the Yaletown event, smiling faces turned sad.

“I don’t have words,” said one festival-goer.

“It’s disappointing, shocking, and unfortunately, par for the course,” said another.

With at least 84 people dead, including 10 children, and over 50 in critical condition, the attack is the second mass-casualty event in France in eight months. In Nov. 2015, 130 people died when terrorists opened fire and detonated suicide bombs at six busy locations across Paris.

For the French, this year’s Bastille Day was meant to be a time of solidarity and celebration. The holiday, called ‘La fête nationale’ in France, is celebrated annually on July 14 to commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1790, during the French Revolution. The holiday is compared to Canada Day or Independence Day in the U.S.

READ MORE: Nice, France attack kills at least 84: ‘Carnage on the road. Bodies everywhere’

READ MORE: Witnesses describe deadly attack in Nice: ‘Bodies flying like bowling pins’

But for attendees at Vancouver’s Bastille Day event, the tragic news would not stop the celebrations or divide the community.

“We will continue it. It’s all about celebration, celebrate the cultural diversity. French is a people of immigration since many years and we will continue it. People can’t stop us,” an attendee told Global News as French accordion music could be heard in the background.

“They may be able to kill the messengers, but they will never be able to kill the message” – Consul General of France in Vancouver, Jean-Christophe Fleury

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They may be able to kill the messengers, but they will never be able to kill the message" - Consul General of France in Vancouver, Jean-Christophe Fleury

And it wasn’t just local Bastille Day celebrants who showed their solidarity with France Thursday evening. Landmarks like B.C. Place lit up red, white, and blue in support and politicians, including Premier Christy Clark, took to Twitter.

According to authorities, no Canadian citizens are believed to have been killed in the attacks.

READ MORE: Nanaimo school children safe in Nice following terror attack

The French Consul General in Vancouver, Jean-Christophe Fleury, is among the voices calling for strength in the face of evil as facts from the attack continue to become clear.

“We have to be aware that this is now worldwide; it’s not just about French, I think it’s about all the countries like Canada and France that share the same values,” Fleury told Global News.

“They just want to attack our values and the way of life that we have. They may be able to kill the messengers, but they will never be able to kill the message. Our message is a message of tolerance, a message of the right to believe or not to believe, and that’s what we think, and that’s what we will continue to fight for.”

France will continue its eight-month-long state of emergency and has declared three days of mourning following Thursday’s events.

1:12 Hollande on Nice attack victims: 84 dead, some 50 in critical condition

• Hollande on Nice attack victims: 84 dead, some 50 in critical condition
• French citizens in Montreal mourn Nice attack
• 84 dead after truck attack in Nice, France
• Raw video shows moment police open fire on truck involved in Nice attack
• Nice bartender describes panic during truck attack
• Nice attack witness recalls yelling at truck driver to stop
• Nice Attack: How one family was reunited with baby boy through Facebook posts #RechercheNice

Previous Video

Next Video