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Viral video of a father explaining the Paris attacks to his preschool son

In an interview with Le Petit Journal, a father and his young son share a heartwarming response to the Paris attacks.

A video of a father explaining the Paris attacks to his preschool-aged son has gone viral on social media. It has been viewed over 29 million times on Facebook alone.

In the video interview with Le Petit Journal, the son, Brandon Le, expresses his fears that they will have to move houses because of the “bad guys” who “have guns” that were responsible for the tragedy.

“Oh, don’t worry,” his father Angel Le says, “we don’t need to move out. France is our home.”

Six-year-old Brandon was not entirely convinced, but his father explained that the flowers and candles that were being offered as a memorial of what had happened could provide reassurance.

“Everyone is putting flowers,” Angel says. “It’s to fight against guns,” he explains.

“And the candles too?” Brandon asks.

“It’s to remember the people who have gone,” his father tells him.

The interview took place at the Place de La Republique, where the Bataclan concert hall had been the site of one of the deadliest attacks on Friday. At least eighty people were killed there, and several hostages were taken before the police brought an end to the siege. Parisians paid their respects to those who had been killed by laying flowers and lighting candles.

Mr. Le told CBC Canada that since the video first appeared online, he has received a tremendous response from people on the street, who found that his positive parenting message resonated with them.

“Now I'm walking down the street and a lot of people stop me and say 'Thank you for giving a good education to your son.' I'm very surprised,” Le told the CBC program Daybreak on Tuesday, during a joint interview with his son.

But despite the earlier reassurances, young Brandon still struggles.

“I was almost killed, and yes, I'm still scared,” Brandon said.

After the attacks, the BBC News Magazine released a list of what to do in the event of another attack like this. The military professionals and survival analysts they talked to recommend being alert and aware, and in the worst-case scenario, being ready to help others to escape and survive.

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