'Peace For Paris' symbol goes viral, creator was 'thinking about everyone affected in Paris'
A "Peace for Paris" symbol, combining Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower with the peace sign of the '60s, has gone viral following the Friday night terror attacks in the French capital. The designer of the viral symbol has been identified as London-based French graphic artist, Jean Jullien, who first posted the picture of it on his Twitter account.
In an exclusive interview with Wired, Jullien said he was on a holiday at an undisclosed, far-away location when his city was under multiple attacks by terrorists. He listened to the news of bloodshed on the radio and captured his first reaction on the paper.
“The first thing that came to me was the idea of peace, that we needed peace. I was trying to look for a symbol of Paris, and obviously the Eiffel Tower was the first thing that sprang to my mind,” the 33-year-old told Wired.
Jullien called it as a message of “peace and solidarity” and said he did not do it to “benefit from it in any way.”
“It was my way of communicating with the people I know and showing that I was thinking about everyone affected in Paris,” he said. Withing hours, Jullien's picture was retweeted 76,000 times.
“The fact that people shared it and used it, well, in a way that’s all for the better. It’s an image for everyone. It’s a communication tool for people to express solidarity and peace and that’s what it’s being used for, so I’m glad that it’s been useful,” he added.
He is also thankful that the “Peace for Paris” symbol has found a “use for everyone, regardless of their nationality or where they are in the world.”
At least 129 people were killed and several hundred injured in coordinated gun-and-explosives attacks at various locations in Paris. Police has identified one of the three gunmen who carried out attacks inside the Bataclan theatre in Paris. Three other men have been arrested in Belgium border.
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