By: Michael Butler

This past Friday began like any other day for Parisians. Unfortunately, it would end in devastation unlike any day they had ever experienced. Paris was under attack and 156 innocent lives were lost due to mindless violence.

This past Friday, France’s capital city of Paris was rocked to its core by a string of horrific terrorist attacks. Six reported sites all around Paris—the Stade de France, Petit Cambodge Restaurant, Rue Faidherbe, Boulevard Beaumarchais, Rue De Charonne, Bataclan Concert Hall—were subject to vicious terrorist attacks. Armed assassins and suicide bombers were responsible for the deaths of 156 people.

The attacks have caused heartache worldwide, with France declaring its first state of emergency since 1944. While no official announcements have been made taking responsibility for the attacks, social media accounts related to the terrorist organization ISIS have celebrated the acts of violence. France’s president, Francis Hollande, has declared that the Islamic State made the attacks.

The three days following the attacks were recognized as Official Days of Mourning.