After Friday’s Paris terrorist attacks that left over 100 people dead and more than 200 injured, the City of Light remains in a standstill. Police are piecing together clues to bring those responsible to justice. The people of Paris have gathered in mourning in a number of locations throughout the weekend.
On Sunday evening, one of these gathering spots became a place of panic. Channel 4 News reporter Matt Frei was broadcasting live near the Plaza de la Republique when a rush of people began to flood the scene behind him. A surprised Frei briefly stepped out of frame and observed the crowd of humanity running in his direction. He reported hearing a shot but wasn’t quite certain. Frei also commented on the how this moment contrasted with “the lack of fear in this city” following the attacks.
Whatever happened near the Plaza de la Republique was enough to stir a panic, but fortunately, this was only a false alarm. All of the areas of mourning in Paris remain heavily guarded by police, but it only takes one troublemaker to wreak havoc on a peaceful scene. A few more Twitter videos reveal the panicked moment at hand.
Ecco i momenti di tensione (ora calma) durante le commemorazioni in #placedelarepublique. La fuga.#Paris @skytg24 https://t.co/bgqXEBFWTp
— nonleggerlo (@nonleggerlo) November 15, 2015
The terrifying moment that a false alarm panicked crowds at the Place de la Republique in central #Paris (Reuters) pic.twitter.com/k31qlv82e3
— @juliamacfarlaneABC on threads (@juliamacfarlane) November 15, 2015
People now returning to Place de la Republique after panic leads to rapid evacuation. False alarm of shots fired. Sad that we're so on edge
— Eric Randolph 🇲🇫 (@EricWRandolph) November 15, 2015