The father of a 17-month-old boy has penned an open letter to the terrorists who gunned down his wife during a concert at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris on Friday.
Antoine Leiris, whose wife Héléne died during the worst terrorist attack Europe has seen since the Madrid bombings of 2004, addressed the people responsible for his wife's untimely demise four days ago, but insisted they would "not have his hatred".
In a desperate attempt to explain the gravity of their actions, Antoine wrote: "On Friday night you stole the life of an exceptional being, the love of my life, the mother of my son, but you won't have my hatred."
Antoine reflected on the choice made by the gunmen on Friday before ultimately dismissing their logic, writing: "If this God for which you kill indiscriminately made us in his own image, every bullet in the body of my wife will have been a wound in his heart."
Determined not to provide the terrorists with the emotion they so badly want, the grief stricken father and widower continued: "I don't know who you are and I don't want to know - you are dead souls."
Like much of the rest of the world. Antoine is determined not to be fearful in the face of such horror, asserting: "You want me to be afraid, to view my fellow countrymen with mistrust, to sacrifice my freedom for security. You have lost."
Paying tribute to the woman the terrorists were not fortunate enough to know in life, Antoine offered a description of Héléne, writing: "I saw her this morning. Finally, after many nights and days of waiting. She was just as beautiful as when she left on Friday night, just as beautiful as when I fell hopelessly in love over 12 years ago."
Antoine, who is understood to have carved a career as a radio journalist, did acknowledge the terrorists triumphed on some level, explaining: "Of course I'm devastated with grief, I admit this small victory, but it will be short-lived. I know she will accompany us every day and that we will find ourselves in this paradise of free souls to which you'll never have access."
Referring to the son they share together, Antoine told those responsible that 17-month-old Melvil will live a life devoid of fear and hatred, writing; "For his whole life this little boy will threaten you by being happy and free. Because no, you will not have his hatred either."
Acknowledging the absence of their beloved wife and mother, Antoine maintains he has found strength in his son, insisting: "We are two, my son and I, but we are stronger than all the armies of the world."
We wish Antoine and Melvil all the very best as they navigate this heartbreaking chapter in their lives.
