November 2015 Paris attacks

==== Domestic politics ====
All major political parties, including Hollande's governing [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]], [[Marine Le Pen]]'s [[National Front (France)|National Front]], and [[Nicolas Sarkozy]]'s [[The Republicans (France)|Republicans]] temporarily suspended their election campaigns for the [[2015 French regional elections|upcoming French regional elections]].<ref name="Regional election campaigning suspended">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/paris-terror-attacks-fn-far-right-le-pen-front-national|title=Front National has chance to take centre stage after Paris attacks|work=The Guardian|date=14 November 2015|access-date=16 November 2015|last=Willsher|first=Kim|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115231706/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/paris-terror-attacks-fn-far-right-le-pen-front-national|archive-date=15 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> There was a nationwide minute of silence at noon which President Hollande and several ministers observed at a ceremony at the Paris Sorbonne University.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/attaques-a-paris/video/2015/11/16/minute-de-silence-a-la-sorbonne-en-presence-du-president-hollande_4811066_4809495.html|title=Minute de silence à la Sorbonne en présence du président Hollande|work=Le Monde.fr|access-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117041420/http://www.lemonde.fr/attaques-a-paris/video/2015/11/16/minute-de-silence-a-la-sorbonne-en-presence-du-president-hollande_4811066_4809495.html|archive-date=17 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 18 November, Hollande reaffirmed France's commitment to accept 30,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years.<ref>{{cite news|last=Potter|first=Mitch|date=18 November 2015|title=Hollande promises France will remain a country of freedom|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/11/18/hollande-promises-france-will-remain-a-country-of-freedom.html|newspaper=Toronto Star|location=Toronto, Canada|access-date=20 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119140851/http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/11/18/hollande-promises-france-will-remain-a-country-of-freedom.html|archive-date=19 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> This was despite the doubts that the terror attack had sown in people's minds. His announcement drew a standing ovation from a gathering of French mayors.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/18/france-says-it-will-take-30000-syrian-refugees-while-u-s-republicans-would-turn-them-away/|title=France says it will take 30,000 Syrian refugees, while U.S. Republicans would turn them away|author=Ishaan Tharoor|date=18 November 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=19 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119163315/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/18/france-says-it-will-take-30000-syrian-refugees-while-u-s-republicans-would-turn-them-away/|archive-date=19 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, in the election campaign for the regional elections of France, to begin on 6 December 2015, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National party who was vying to be president of the Nord-Pas de Calais area, was recommending hardline security measures. She was getting a great deal of media attention with her strong anti-immigrant stance and may have been helping to sway public opinion across France. "The influx of migrants must be stopped," Le Pen told the CBC in an interview.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/france-le-pen-canada-refugees-1.3340209 |title=France's National Front leader calls Canada's refugee plan 'madness' |first=Lisa |last=Mayer |date=27 November 2015 |website=CBC News |publisher=CBC/Radio Canada |access-date=1 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201000235/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/france-le-pen-canada-refugees-1.3340209 |archive-date=1 December 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> Le Pen was doing well in opinion polls as of early December 2015. Since the elections would start only weeks after the Paris attacks, she was thought to be getting dividends from the timing, when the fear of terrorism was still very strong.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vivdon-White |first=Maya |date=26 November 2015 |title=France's far-right party surges on immigration, terror fears |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/26/frances-far-right-party-surges-on-immigration-terr/ |newspaper=Washington Times |location=Washington, DC, USA |access-date=1 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130203930/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/26/frances-far-right-party-surges-on-immigration-terr/ |archive-date=30 November 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>