How An Artist’s ‘Peace For Paris’ Symbol Went worldwide

The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris and a symbol of France, reopened on Monday.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks Friday night that left more that 120 dead, top Parisian landmarks are closing their doors as an act of mourning – a few indefinitely. “It didn’t seem appropriate to us”, Isabelle Esnous, Director of Communication at the tower, told AFP.

Jean awoke on Saturday morning to find he’d become an internet sensation.

He placed the image on social media, and within hours it was picked up around France and beyond, becoming the totem of nationwide rallies totalling an estimated four million.

The original tweet has now been retweeted more than 58,000 times around the world, and has been seen on T-shirts and memorials.

“Thank you all for your messages of support for Paris”.

“The murder of our people over Sinai is one of the bloodiest crimes in terms of the lives it claimed”, said Russian president Vladimir Putin during a late-night meeting on Monday.

Typically a bright fixture, the Eiffel Tower’s lights were turned off following the attacks, which resulted in the deaths of at least 129 people. Many users have changed their profile photos to the drawing or shared it with family and friends. And the idea was just for people to have a tool to communicate and to respond and to share this solidarity and peace. “It was my way of communicating with people I know and showing that I was thinking about everyone affected in Paris”.

Kalashnikov-type weapons were found in a vehicle with Belgian number plates in northern Paris on Tuesday – believed to be rented by Salah Abdeslam and used in the attack.

The deadliest attack on Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings laid bare Islamic State’s capability to strike at the heart of Europe and the difficulty of monitoring the movements of militants intent on killing.

Hundreds of Americans are offering their homes to French travelers who are stuck in the United States.