Security the name of the game as France goes on war footing after Paris attacks
I was out of the country when the Paris attacks happened last Friday as we were playing Edinburgh in the Challenge Cup, but my family were back in Grenoble.
We use that competition as an opportunity to rotate the squad and to experience different environments so we gave the team the licence to hit the city centre for a while before we were due to fly back Saturday morning. While having our post-match meal, news started to stream through via social media, texts and calls from loved ones of the terrible events unfolding in Paris.
Any thoughts of a party quickly passed and we spent the night back in the hotel lobby following the news reports and trying to come to terms with how life will change here.
We have six players in our squad that come from Paris and obviously we have lots of others that have family members or friends living in the city, so it was an anxious time as they tried to establish if everyone was safe.
There is always an undercurrent of tension in the air in France because of the array of cultures and backgrounds that make up modern day French society. I fear these attacks can only increase that and ignite further issues.
Grenoble is a great place to live and we have had no issues whatsoever in our three years here, but when I heard that the police had arrested suspects in a suburb of the city and recovered firearms and rocket launchers, it certainly makes you consider how close you could be to a flashpoint.
We tried our best to explain what happened in Paris to our children, Ava (9) and Ben (7). But our take on what is age-appropriate and the French view is very different.
When we dropped the kids to school on Monday morning, there was a government notice on the wall, saying that teachers will be explaining what happened in Paris and would do it in an age-appropriate way.
Ben came home very upset having been given real detail about what happened. He was told that this attack has changed things, because now terrorists are ready to attack innocent people in public places. He had it explained what goes through the minds of suicide bombers and why they are willing to die for their cause. He was told that France is now at war. And he was even able to show me where a string is to detonate a bomb and how the attackers pull it.
We are used to the French making their children independent and adult earlier than we would have planned, but this really highlighted the difference in our cultures.
Having said that, the French as a nation are incredibly brave and strong and I admire that massively. Maybe that comes from how they educate their children and were educated and reared themselves.
The French motto is Liberté, égalité, fraternité, which originated from the French Revolution. France is rightly incredibly proud that it is an open country with tolerance for all beliefs and cultures. These attacks have actually strengthened the public’s resolve and unity.
Sporting events have understandably taken a step back in priorities and obviously it is not possible at the moment for security forces to protect large crowds of people in a stadium.
We saw an international football match in Hanover between Germany and Holland called off due to a security alert. Munster’s match at Stade Francais has already been called off and the organisers of the Champions Cup, Guinness Pro 12 and Top 14 will struggle to find alternative dates.
It’s frustrating for everyone involved but safety must take precedence over sport.
Out for a meal with his friends last Friday night, the Stade Francais hooker Remi Bonfils was present at the scene of the shooting at Le Carillon restaurant.
He saw people killed and injured all around him and it’s a miracle that he escaped alive. It will be a while before the French get over these attacks, but you can also be sure they will.
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