Nov. 16--When France native Aude Biard answered a phone call from her 77-year-old father, who lives in Paris, she was shocked by the news of the deadly terrorist attacks that had crippled her homeland.
"He was right by (one of the attacks)," said Biard, who has lived in Oak Park for 25 years. "He was crying, and I thought someone in my own family had went.
"He said 'You're not going to believe what just happened.' I did not."
Biard immediately began calling and sending emails to other relatives to make sure they were weren't hurt. Though she confirmed many relatives were safe, as the death toll rose over the weekend, so did Biard's fears that a loved one might be a victim.
"It just got worse and worse," Biard said. "First it was 18, then 39 and now it's 129."
Baird, who wore a collared shirt inspired by the French flag, was one of roughly 200 people who attended a vigil Sunday outside the Consulate General of France on Michigan Avenue in the Loop.
"We would all like to be there with them," Biard said of her countrymen. "But this is the closest we can be, being with people who are heartbroken also."
Across the Chicago area, some churches planned Masses in French.
The International Student Association at Northwestern University also held a candlelight vigil during which university President Morton Schapiro led about 150 students in a moment of silence. The student group cast a white sheet bearing a peace sign over The Rock and decorated the area with the flags of several countries, including France, to highlight the attacks affected much more than one country, said Gordon Schlicht, the group's public relations chairman.
"A lot of those attacks hit home for a lot of people," said Schlicht, a sophomore studying political science and economics. "I mean, I'm German and I found out from watching the soccer game between France and Germany at the Stade de France in Paris. And I heard this, like, boom in between the game, and that was one of the bombings. So I right away looked up what happened, and I found out there were a lot of German people at the game. I was glad that none of the people that were hurt or died were people I knew.
"Muslim refugees everywhere probably will be targeted over the next few months. We have to keep them in our prayers too," he said.
In the Loop, Consul General Vincent Floreani addressed the crowd, mostly in French, but thanked those who'd extended their condolences, including local consulates of other nations, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Muslim community.
Elodie Lehrmann and Coline Le Bourhis, Columbia College Chicago students who are from France, joined in a soft singing of the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", during which members of the crowd, one by one, laid bouquets of flowers, candles or signs. The two business students left a hand-drawn sign with the French flag and Eiffel Tower that read "Chicago is with Paris, 6,653 KM, 6,136 miles, but we still are with you."
The pair said they were in disbelief when they learned of the attacks via social media because the areas affected were places they frequented back home.
"We saw on Facebook that people started to post very horrible things, and when we went back home we saw the news on CNN and French TV," Lehrmann said. "... Most of our family is in Paris, so we are scared for them."
Le Bourhis added: "Most of our friends like to hang in this area because this is an area where all the kids go out to go to the bars and everything. My brother goes there almost every week, so I was really worried if he was safe."
tbriscoe@tribpub.com
