Jean-François Gomez, journalist of the French newspaper Le Progrès, who took part in France v. German friendly match in Stade de France stadium where two explosions blowed up, told Armenian News – NEWS.am about what was happening in the stadium yesterday.
Jean, the explosions blowed up in the beginning of the match. Did you know what was going on by the stadium?
We heard two explosions. The first at 9:15 pm (10:15 am Yerevan time), and the second a few minutes later. We didn't know whether these were fireworks or not, but we thought it was abnormal. We knew that President Francois Hollande was evacuated from the stadium during the first half. Thanks to Twitter we learnt about shootings in different districts of Paris. Already during the second half we knew there were killed. It was impossible to concentrate on the match.
Why wasn't the game stopped?
They didn't want to cause real panic among people.
In the footages we saw all people go down to the field and wait. What happened then?
Thousand of people went down to the field. There was a danger of the terror attack recurrence. One of the stadium exits was closed because there were the corpses there. We, journalists, went to the press-center. Apparently we didn't manage to take an interview. The Football Federation confirmed today that the friendly match between France and Germany, which will be held on November 17, will not be postponed.
People were singing Marseillaise when leaving the stadium yesterday. What is the atmosphere in Paris today? Are there people in the streets? Do the shops and cafes work?
People were singing Marseillaise yesterday even when entering the metro. Paris is empty today. I was sitting in a cafe; there were a few people in the streets. Generally, all the shops are open. The Parisians are going to hospitals to donate blood.
What do people say on terror attacks?
Everyone is shocked. Everyone knew France was a target, but didn't know when this would happen.
Why is France a target?
Because France is struggling against ISIS. Besides, many young Muslims, who are under ISIS influence, live in the suburbs of our country.
