Thousands Rally in France to Pay Tribute to Victims Killed at Charlie Hebdo

Thousands of people gather silently at Place de la Republique in central Paris hours after the attack on the Charlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris, France, 7 January 2015. Photo EPA/BGNES

Thousands of people gathered at Place de la Republique in Paris on Wednesday evening in a vigil to pay tribute to the victims of the massacre at the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, newswires reported.

At least 20,000 people also gathered in the French cities of Lyon and Toulouse, police said, after 12 people were killed by heavily armed masked gunmen shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) who opened fire on the magazine’s staffers earlier on Wednesday, presumably to avenge its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in satirical cartoons.

Demonstrators wore black stickers reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) in a sign of solidarity with the victims of the massacre. They held candles and pens up in the air to support Charlie Hebdo staffers and the right to freedom of the press.

Stephane Charbonnier, the editor-in-chief of the weekly, and three other cartoonists were among those killed in the attack that also left 11 people injured.

Separate vigils were organized in London’s Trafalgar Square, as well as Berlin and Toronto. 

In Sofia, people laid flowers at the fence surrounding the French Embassy building to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting.

 

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