As blood is swept from the streets outside the Bataclan, Paris mourns those lost in terror attacks hours earlier

On the streets outside the Bataclan concert hall, the signs of the massacre which took place inside were still evident when Parisians arrived to pay their respects on Saturday morning. Pools of dried blood and discarded surgical gloves could be seen by the roadsides near the popular music venue, marking the spots where victims of the attacks received treatment from paramedics.

Although police had cordoned off the area immediately outside the Bataclan, the word EAGLES was still visible, spelt out in thick black letters above the door through which thousands of excited music fans had filed on their way to see the American band Eagles of Death Metal only a few hours previously.

Throughout the morning, disbelieving Parisians arrived at the police cordon to leave flowers, write tributes or simply talk to one another. A tearful Yann Sciardis, 27, who lives just 300 metres from the venue, told The Independent how he had been forced to stay the night at his girlfriend's parents' house when news of the attacks began filtering through on his phone as he drank in a bar with friends.

“I thought: Oh no, not again,” he said. “I'm devastated, I'm shocked, I don't know what to think about it. What happened affected every Parisian - the bars, the concerts, this is what you do on a Friday night. It's part of me.”

His voice breaking, he continued: “I don't want to be scared. We don't need to be scared. We have to show them that we want to live. I had to be here, and now I understand why - I've spoken to some people and it feels good to speak about it. This is where I live, I want to be here.”

Ari Seitsonen, 47, who also lives close to the Bataclan, was working late when news of the massacre broke and stayed up all night in his office, too afraid to leave. “Of course it reminds us of January,” he said in reference to the terrorist attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo earlier this year. “Paris is a target, it's a symbol for liberty.”

Yet only a few streets away from the site of the massacre, Parisian life appeared to be continuing as normal. People sat outside cafes drinking coffee and chatting; a large queue formed outside an artisan boulangerie.

“I'm happy to see that Paris lives on,” Mr Seitsonen said. “People are going through their routines, life must go on. But time will show how Paris will change, and I'm sure it will.”