myherosquest.com

Monday, January 12, 2015

Following the shootings at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, millions of people turned out yesterday for marches in Paris, in cities across France, and around the world. Reported estimates of between 1.5 and 2 million people rallied in Paris, and the French interior ministry estimated 3.7 million or more rallied across France.

44 world leaders attended the Paris march including French President François Hollande; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; British Prime Minister David Cameron; Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy; Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi; the President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority; King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan; Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu; the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov; the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; and the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba.

US Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley attended. White House Spokesman Josh Earnest responded to criticism for not sending a higher level representative on behalf of the United States: “It is fair to say we should have sent someone with a higher profile.” Earnest said the rally had been planned on Friday and President Obama attending the rally on such short notice presented “significant security challenges”. Secretary of State John Kerry said he already had a prior engagement in India.

Charlie Hebdo has previously published cartoons featuring the Islamic prophet Muhammed. These include original depictions and reprints of controversial cartoons originally by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Some of these cartoons were on display at the marches.

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Paris: flowers and tributes to the victims of the shooting. Image: Guerric Poncet.

Paris march: a protester holding up two colouring pencils, in solidarity with journalists and cartoonists killed in the attack. Image: Basili.

Paris march: protestors holding up two giant pencils. Image: Eric Walter.

Paris march: more protestors holding up giant pencils. Image: Eric Walter.

Paris march: marchers fill the street. Image: Eric Walter.

Paris march: more marchers filling the streets. Image: Yann Caradec.

Paris march. Image: Eric Walter.

Paris march: marchers moving up Boulevard Beaumarchais. Image: Poulpy.

Paris march: marchers fill the platform at the Miromesnil Métro station. Image: Basili.

Bordeaux rally. Image: LeJC.

Rally in Bourg-en-Bresse. Image: Benoît Prieur.

Rally in Chambéry. Image: Florian Pépellin.

Rally in Lyon. Image: Jitrixis.

Rally in Rennes. Image: Édouard Hue.

A sign at the march in Rennes showing a number of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons. Image: Édouard Hue.

Rally in Rennes. Image: Édouard Hue.

Rally in Rennes. Image: Pymouss.

Rally at the Place Royale in Reims. Image: G.Garitan.

French flag projected on to the side of the National Gallery in London as a sign of solidarity. Image: Simeon87.

Signs, pens, sketch pads and cartoons left as a memorial in Trafalgar Square in London. Image: Zefrog.

A pen held up as part of the rally in London’s Trafalgar Square. Image: Zefrog.

A man holding both a French and American flag at a rally in Daley Plaza in Chicago. Image: Stel Cape.

A small rally in Cologne. Image: Raimond Spekking.

Candle lights at a rally in Moscow. Image: Ilya Schurov.

Snow-covered flowers and tributes outside the office of the French Ambassador in Moscow. Image: Ilya Schurov.

At the rally in Moscow. Image: Ilya Schurov.

Rally in Stockholm. Image: Henrik M F.

Rally in Stockholm. Image: fcruse.

A pencil in the snow at the Stockholm rally. Image: fcruse.

Rally in Vienna. Image: Haeferl.

Rally in Berlin. Image: Tim.

Rally in Brussels. Image: Miguel Discart.