Paris: More than a million people thronged the streets of Paris yesterday in the biggest rally in French history, led by dozens of world leaders walking arm-in-arm as cries of “Freedom” and “Charlie” rang out across the country.
The interior ministry said 3.7 million people took to the streets nationwide, with Paris alone seeing an “unprecedented” 1.5 million demonstrators.
In the capital, President Francois Hollande linked arms with world leaders, including the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian president, in an historic display of unity.
A sea of humanity flowed through Paris’ iconic streets to mourn the victims of the three days of terror that began with a slaughter at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and ended with 17 dead.
The vast crowd chanted “Charlie, Charlie”, in honour of the cartoonists and journalists killed at Charlie Hebdo.
Emotions ran high in the grieving City of Light, with many of those marching in tears as they came together under the banner of freedom of speech after France’s worst terrorist bloodbath in half a century.
The crowd brandished banners saying: “I’m French and I’m not scared” and, in tribute to the murdered cartoonists, “Make fun, not war” and “Ink should flow, not blood.”
AFP
