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Read the press release here.

French Consulate Draws Outpouring of Support on the Upper East Side

By Shaye Weaver | November 16, 2015 3:04pm
 Mourners gathered at the French Embassy over the weekend and people have placed flowers and messages of comfort at the embassy's door step.
Mourners gathered at the French Embassy over the weekend and people have placed flowers and messages of comfort at the embassy's door step.
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Instagram/deaulou

UPPER EAST SIDE — Tokens of love and support were piled high on the doorstep of the French Consulate on Fifth Avenue following Friday's Paris attacks that killed at least 129 people.

People left flowers, candles, and messages with "We stand beside you" and "Pray for Paris" outside of the embassy and have taken to social media to document the memorial.

On Monday morning, the consulate at 934 Fifth Ave. opened a "condolence book" for those who want to leave a message on Monday and Tuesday this week, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the book this week: "New York City stands in solidarity with Paris," he wrote. "We have shared the same pain, but as great cities we will overcome this evil together. Vive la France!"

Condolences can be submitted online as well.

A spokesman for the French Consulate on Monday expressed gratitude to those who have shown their support.

"We are of course deeply moved by the flowers, candles and messages that the American citizens and the French citizens living in New York have brought to the consulate," spokesman Yann Yochum said in a statement. "We wish to thank them for their kind support."

Over the weekend, vigils were held in Washington Square Park, Carroll Gardens and WaHi Village.

 

 

Mourners gather at French Embassy in #NYC tonight in the wake of yesterday's #parisattacks #parisjetaime #paris

A photo posted by Christine Trudeau (@deaulou) on

 

 

A photo posted by Kate (@librariankate7578) on

Some people used the memorial as a way to encourage others to do right.

"Teach your children to have dignity and they will treat others with dignity," one Instagram user wrote. "Introduce them to different cultures, different religions, and show them how beautiful diversity is. Teach them to listen and to ask questions. But most importantly, teach them to love unconditionally."

 

 

Another spoke about comforting a woman who lost her significant other in the attacks and said that "We have the power to light each other up and when we've gone out we have the power to say so and accept light from someone who is burning strong."

 

 

Tonight paying respect to those lost in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad and in all instances of cowardly acts of violence. Was going to continue with, "Then continuing with Saturday night because joy is not at the mercy of fear" but as it turned out that was not the takeaway tonight. A girl tonight who was grieving accepted a hug from me and as I held her in my arms she wept and wept and said to me, "He was the love of my life." I found myself not only having nothing to say to her other than that I was sorry for her loss but realized that choosing joy over fear is important but an insufficient response when so much that so many people love is lost so continually in so many places around the world at the hands of so much darkness. My candle went out while I held her and when she left it was a struggle to get it lit again. I burned my fingers over and over again in the course of trying to do so and eventually had to ask someone with a longer candle to light mine with theirs. They did. And as I stood there thinking about it my takeaway changed. Instead of praying for Paris or carrying on in defiance, light someone in your own life whose light has gone out. Because if every time someone's light went out there were someone to light them again there would be no room in this world for the kind of depravity that begets these kinds of actions. There is no such thing as too much light or too many people having it. If we continually go around trying to take it away from other people or stomp it out we cannot look at acts of violence and call them senseless. We have the power to light each other up and when we've gone out we have the power to say so and accept light from someone who is burning strong. So if your light is strong share it with others and if your light is out say so and accept some. Let the act of either giving or receiving light now and always be your prayer for Paris. ✌✌✌ #prayforparis

A photo posted by Erin Spadola (@erinspadola) on