England and France paid tribute to the 129 people killed in Friday’s attacks in Paris at an international football match at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday November 17, 2015.
Wembley’s vast free-standing arch was lit in the colours of the French flag and its motto “liberté, égalité, fraternité’ were beamed on to the front of the stadium, for the event attended by 71,000 fans.
Whilst Germany’s match against the Netherlands in Hannover was cancelled about an hour before kick-off and supporters sent home because of a “concrete security threat” according to police, British and French supporters turned up in a sign of defiance.
England won 2-0 and the atmosphere remained genuinely warm and fraternal throughout. French and English flags and scarves dotted the walkways resisting fear in a spontaneous “business-as-usual” approach.
Éléonore de Bonneval
