In the aftermath of the coordinated terror attacks on Paris, people around the world have been taking to social media to share their grief and show support for the French people.
One image, in particular, has become a kind of icon of international solidarity: a simple, but powerful, black-and-white ink drawing of a peace sign — with the Eiffel Tower at its heart. The picture popped up online last night, and since then it has been shared, liked, tweeted and retweeted as people attempt to cope with the tragedy.
It has become known as the “Peace for Paris” symbol. And its creator, illustrator Jean Jullien, awoke Saturday morning to discover that it had gone viral.
“Last night I was about to go for dinner,” Jullien, who was out of the country at the time of the attacks, tells NPR’s Michel Martin. “I turned on the French radio. I heard that it was an attack, and my first reaction was to draw.”
What he produced ended up being raw, minimal and resonant.