The largest march in French history took place on Sunday, honoring the victims of the terror attacks in Paris last week.
According to the Huffington Post, 40 world leaders and roughly 1.6 million people showed solitude and unity at Place de la Republique square for the National Unity March. Among the world leaders present were Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and England Prime Minster David Cameron. French President Francois Hollande commented on the massive march, calling the country the current capital of the world.
“Today, Paris is the capital of the world,” said French President Francois Hollande. “Our entire country will rise up toward something better.”
The march took place just days after Said and Cherif Kouachi entered the newsroom of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people on Wednesday. The men were attempting to honor Prophet Muhammad, a subject the paper would mock frequently. On Friday, the suspects were killed along with Amedy Coulibaly, who held up a Persian deli with his wife Hayat Boumediene. The 26-year-old is currently on the run. Boumediene has also been linked to the newspaper attacks after Paris officials discovered over 500 phone calls to Cherif’s wife.
As troops continued to be deployed in France, the country remains on high alert, with some Muslims getting death threats and a strong amount of Jews leaving the country for their own safety. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to reporters about the attacks and also showed solidarity with the country.
“At an international conference in India, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the world stood with the people of France “not just in anger and in outrage, but in solidarity and commitment to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause that extremists fear so much and that has always united our countries: freedom.”
Other marches took place in London, Madrid, New York, Cairo, Sydney, Stockholm and Tokyo, with many holding “Je Suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) signs, pens, and their own portraits honoring the victims.
Celebrities like George Clooney, Kathy Bates, and Helen Mirren also wore pins and held signs of their own on the red carpet of the Golden Globes Sunday night.
SOURCE: Huffington Post | VIDEO CREDIT: News Inc.
