While conflict monitors have repeatedly said victims of disasters get reduced to cold statistics, media website Mashable has launched a tribute project to remember every one of the 129 people who were killed in multiple terror attacks in Paris.
The project has been launched on Twitter as ‘@ParisVictims’ and is inviting users to send in photographs and memories of their loved ones who fell prey to the November 13 attacks, with the hashtag #enmemoire.
Among the victims was Germain Feray, a photographer and a fan of rock music. He was father to a 17-month-old daughter. Marie Mosser, a 24-year-old, was the ‘epitome of French chic,’ a tweet read. She loved music and worked as a digital marketer. A professor, 43-year-old Nicolas Classeau, was father of three — a man described to be ‘full of wisdom and kindness’. Kheireddine Sahbi, an Algerian who moved to Paris to study music, was another entry on the page.
“When one reads about the tragic news coming out of Paris, there is so much focus on the numbers..But the victims were more than numbers. They were dads. Boyfriends. Girlfriends. Students. Big sisters. Lifelong friends. Some loved sports. Others were dedicated musicians,” said Brian Ries, Mashable’s real-time news editor in the page introducing the project.
{{/usCountry}}“When one reads about the tragic news coming out of Paris, there is so much focus on the numbers..But the victims were more than numbers. They were dads. Boyfriends. Girlfriends. Students. Big sisters. Lifelong friends. Some loved sports. Others were dedicated musicians,” said Brian Ries, Mashable’s real-time news editor in the page introducing the project.
{{/usCountry}}The Mashable page, as of Wednesday evening, had tweeted 50 tributes.
Twitter users have welcomed the initiative. One said: “Respect to @mashable for their #enmemoire work today, a tweet for each and every #Paris victim. Important to focus on them not #Isis.”