Solace for French cafe owners

Cafe Mirabelle in Carterton. Owners Olivier and Megan Rochery received an outpour of community support following the Paris Terror Attacks November 2015. Photo supplied/Facebook WAG 16Nov15 - BACKI

The owners of a French cafe in Carterton have received an "outpouring of community support" over the weekend in response to the Paris terror attacks.

Paris-born Olivier Rochery and his Kiwi wife Megan of Cafe Mirabelle said they received supportive phone calls, flowers, and had people from all over Wairarapa come in to the cafe to make sure their family were okay.

At least 129 people were killed and hundreds more wounded when armed gunmen attacked six different locations across Paris on the weekend.

Mrs Rochery said she was grateful for the concern from the Wairarapa community and that all of their family in Paris had been contacted and were fine.

"Our daughter Celeste is studying in Paris and she contacted us straight away - before we knew something was even happening," she said.

"We were at work and I had the laptop and she skyped through saying "we're okay", and the first thing I said was, well, why wouldn't you be?"

Mrs Rochery said straight after her daughter called she started listening to the radio but "there was nothing on there because at that point the hostage situation was still ongoing".

"And all we knew was that there were explosions around Paris," she said.

"It was a kind of total confusion really, so Celeste and her boyfriend just stayed put like everybody else and used social media to try to find out what was going on."

When Mrs Rochery found out the extent of the attacks, she asked her daughter if she wanted to come home to New Zealand.

"But now it's terrifying because, you know, where are you safe? You're not safe in a plane, you're not safe in the street, you just have to tough it out I guess."

Mrs Rochery said she was "totally shocked" by the terrorist attacks because "it happened to just ordinary people".

"That's the most revolting thing about it isn't it," she said.

"They've targeted people who are not in uniforms, are not standing up for any political point of view, they're just people. It's just disgusting.

"There are so many people who have connections with France, people who fought in the war, holidaymakers, and they all feel this connection to the country."

Mr Rochery said the attacks were "too fresh" for him to make comment on but that he appreciated the support from the community.

Masterton District Council will be illuminating the tree in the Masterton Town Square in blue, white and red this week in solidarity with the French nation.