Lola went swimming with her dad before the gig at the Bataclan theatre. Two days later, Georges identified her body. "It was a terrible experience."¹

Eight years ago today, Islamist terrorists attacked cafes, a stadium and a theatre in Paris, killing 130 people.

Seven attackers also died. One was Samy Amimour. In 2017, his father, Azdyne, contacted Georges to show him they were not a "family of terrorists."

They became friends. "If there are words left," Georges says, "there is also hope."

Restorative justice brings victims and perpetratorsPeople who carried out harmful, illegal, or immoral acts. together. Over 40 countries have held "truth commissions" to move beyond a painful past, such as genocideThe annihilation of a people, either through killing of its members, or through the suppression of its culture. in RwandaA country in the centre of Africa. At least 500,000 people were killed in the appalling genocide of 1994. or apartheidA system of legally-enshrined racial discrimination and oppression which existed in South Africa from 1948 until the 1990s. It denied non-white South Africans basic human rights. in South Africa.²

Forgiveness can be radical. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said "love your enemies" rather than seek revenge.³ This idea was key to peace movements in the 20th Century. "Hate cannot drive out hate," preached Martin Luther King, "only love can do that."⁴

For over 30 years in Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness were sworn enemies. In 2007, they agreed to share power and became good friends. In government, they were known as the "chuckle brothers."⁵

Israeli Rami Elhanan and Palestinian Bassam Aramin became friends through a shared grief.⁶ They both lost their daughters in the conflict but now call each other "brother". Aramin, who once threw a grenade at Israeli soldiers, wants to "create more bridges instead of more graves."

In 2004, Israelis and Palestinians climbed a peak in Antarctica. They named it the Mountain of Israeli-Palestinian Friendship. "This moment is so beautiful," said Ziad Darwish. His brother had been killed by the Israeli army.⁷

Georges Salines admits the friendship between two men is not enough: "Sometimes it feels like trying to empty the sea with a spoon." But maybe sometimes it is the small differences that matter most.

Yes: Nothing else will. All over the world, peace talks have ended cycles of violence. Only by sitting down with our enemies do we start to see them as people like us, who deserve love and forgiveness.

No: This is wishful thinking. There are so many conflicts today because people do not want to talk. It will not bring the dead back. And the desire for revenge is more powerful than for forgiveness.

Or... Talking can solve many problems, but you have to create the right conditions for it. Enemies must agree they have more to lose by fighting and more to gain by talking. This process can take decades.