Often, after a terror attack, people and politicians make a point of saying “we are not afraid”.

That seemed to be the case in Paris, certainly, over the weekend, after the attacks that killed at least 130 people.

France’s president, Francois Hollande, said something like that in an address to the nation.

Versions of that sentiment were written on placards.

And everyone wanted it to be true … that they were not afraid, that their lives would not change … but it isn’t as easy as just saying so.

As various moments of panic in Paris tonight demonstrated.

This is perhaps the most-seen incident of panicked reactions to false alarms.

Those are people lighting candles near the center of the Place de la Republique, and if you listen closely to the start of the video clip, you can hear a series of pops. Perhaps firecrackers, but the people there were thinking of something far more dire.

The crowd immediately stampeded. Two people ran right through the area where candles had been put up, and one of them slipped and fell.

Near the end of the clip, a woman nearly runs over the person who had stayed and continued filming.

Here is a second and longer clip, also taken at the Place de la Republique, and a young man is in mid-sentence, while talking to a reporter, about how it would be a mistake to be “holed up at home, with no freedom” … when the popping sounds can be heard, and everyone takes off.

About the same time, social media suggested panicking people could be seen on the Rue de Rivoli and in the Marais.

It was not the finest moment for civilians on the streets tonight.

The hope we have, in cases like these, is that we can tell ourselves we are not afraid, we are not rattled. We certainly mean it to be true.

But the most primitive parts of our brains are not yet on board with that line of thinking.

When what might be something that sounds or looks like an attack is detected,  often the “flight” half of the fight or flight instinct takes over.

It takes time to get past traumatic instances like what happened in Paris on Friday.

We would like to think it isn’t the case, to disappoint the terrorists, but much of the time we are fooling ourselves.