Paris tense but resilient after attacks, Winnipegger in France says

A Winnipeg lawyer says the streets of Paris are full of armed guards, but people are also filling the cafés in an attempt to get their lives back to normal after the attacks Friday night.

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Ken Zaifman arrived in Paris Saturday after 129 people were killed in several attacks across the city.

He's staying near the Place de la République and yesterday, a crowd of mourners suddenly ran from the large public square when they heard the sound of fire crackers.

"There's a dichotomy here," Zaifman said.

"Clearly people were anxious and there was confusion and people were running from the plaza, but yet, people — when you walk down the streets, the cafés are full. People, they haven't given up their daily life," Zaifman said.

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"Whether it's defiance or just they're showing that they're not going to change the way they live their lives, that's what you see on the street," Zaifman said.

There is a visible military and police presence and several national monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral, are closed for now.

Zaifman is a volunteer with a group of Manitobans in Paris to attract people to immigrate to the province.

There was supposed to be an event at the Canadian Embassy called Destination Canada, but that was cancelled after the attacks, he said.

But the group decided to continue meeting with people who are interested in immigrating to Manitoba, Zaifman said.

"I don't sense that there's an urgency about these events. That will come, I predict, in the days and weeks and months when the reality of what occurred sinks in and people are looking at how they live," he said.

"People may be anxious about it, but I don't think that's the primary reason [for] wanting to leave [France]. At least that's from the people I've been speaking with over the past few days."