Paris March: Millions Rally In Historic Demonstrations Across France [Photos]
On Sunday, millions paused and took to the streets of France at massive rallies across the country, in support of freedom of speech and against the violence that shook the nation this past week, following the attack at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine Wednesday.
In a show of solidarity, the looks of which have not been seen in decades, French people from all walks of life joined leaders from around the world to protest the violent attack that left 12 people dead at Charlie Hebdo, a police woman killed on Thursday, and four additional hostages dead in an attack on a kosher store on Friday.
The toll does not include the dead terrorist who stormed Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, killing 11 staffers, including nationally acclaimed cartoonists, and a police officer outside the building, execution style. The suspects, identified as brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, were later surrounded by police north of Paris where they were killed in a gun battle.
Additionally, the suspect in the Kosher attack in Paris, Amedy Coulibaly, was also killed when SWAT teams stormed the building, not after four of the 19 hostages held lost their lives. A manhunt is underway for the wife — or girlfriend — of the kosher store attacker, Hayat Boumeddiene. However, authorities now believe she has fled the country.
Notably absent from the Paris march was American President Barack Obama, who stated following the attacks that the U.S. stands with the French people at this difficult time. However, no top officials from his administration were present at the rally, raising eyebrows in Europe.
Here are the most breathtaking photos from the Paris march on Sunday, which show that despite the brutality of the attacks the French people will not stand down.
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 11, 2015
— Mikey Kay (@MikeyKayNYC) January 11, 2015
— CNN (@CNN) January 10, 2015
January 8, 2015
According to Fox News, at least 3.7 million people demonstrated on Sunday in rallies to honor the victims of the Charlie Hebdo and kosher store shootings. France was shaken to its core for the brutality shown by the terrorists, who claimed to belong to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The French Interior Ministry said the rally for unity against terrorism is the largest demonstration in France’s history, more than those who took to Paris’ streets when the Allies liberated the city from the Nazis at the end of World War II.
According to the Ministry, it’s impossible to tell exactly how many people turned out for the Paris march, but the estimates are that just in the capital alone, more than one million took to the streets in a show of support for the murdered citizens.
[Image via Twitter]
