Sciences Po stands up to the attacks

On 16 November 2015 on the Sciences Po campuses, like everywhere else in France, students, faculty and staff gathered at midday for a moment of silence in tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks that took place on 13 November. These attacks killed at least 129 people and injured 450 people in the cities of Paris and Saint-Denis.

On the Paris campus, Sciences Po President Frédéric Mion addressed a few words to the students before the moment of silence, which you can read below:

“Dear students,

Dear professors,

Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, friends,

This is not the time for long speeches, attempts at explanation, or lessons for the future.

We have come together this morning to solemnly express our respect for the dead, our solidarity with the injured, especially those still struggling between life and death, and our sympathy for the families and friends of all the victims.

We are here to show that we will remain vigilant and cool-headed, in the knowledge that more violence may yet be unleashed and that each of us must do everything in our power to ensure each other’s safety. Such is the purpose of the exceptional security measures that have been in place since Saturday; such is the purpose of  having mobilized all our staff, from the early hours of this tragedy, to support our entire community in these uncertain times.   

We are here above all to bear witness that, in the face of savagery, barbarity, and crime, we stand tall. That hatred and death will not have the last word. That Sciences Po, in unison with our city and our country, means to see the values of dialogue, openness, freedom and brotherhood triumph; these values that are at the heart of our mission and on which our life as a community is based.

Please observe a moment of silence.”

>> All those in attendance then joined together in singing La Marseillaise (extract on video)