Dozens of people have been killed, a number that may keep rising as new reports come in, in at least three separate gun attacks and one explosion at a soccer game in Paris, France, on Friday night. On social media, the attack is being discussed using an Arabic hashtag which translates to “Paris is in flames.”
Some have used the tag to celebrate the attack — and many on Twitter quickly linked the hashtag with Islamic State sympathizers. But others are simply using the tag to share the latest news out of Paris, or to express sympathy with the victims.
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VICE News has collected a number of tweets circulating on social media tagged with the hashtag.
The below tweet reads: God is great and thank God for these lone wolf attacks
The tweet below reads: Oh God, burn Paris as you burned the Muslims in Mali, Africa, Iraq, Syria, and Palestine
The below tweet reads God is great and celebrates the death of 40 people.
A number of accounts celebrating the attack were suspended within minutes of posting tweets using the hashtag.
Related: In The Streets of Paris Under Attack
But the hashtag was also used to express sympathy and circulate news.
And after CNN anchors said on air that the hashtag was being used by IS sympathizers, some used the tag to spread Islamophobic messages.
