PARIS - More than 40 world leaders, their arms linked, marched through Paris yesterday to rally for unity and freedom of expression and to honour 17 victims of three days of terrorist attacks.
Marchers and demonstrators gathered at Republique Square, Paris, Sunday, filling France’s iconic plaza. World leaders joined in a rally of defiance and sorrow to honour the 17 victims of three days of bloodshed that left France on alert for more violence. (AP photo)
The leaders were heading a demonstration of tens of thousands of people who converged on the capital, with at least 600,000 people rallying outside of the city, after three gunmen attacked a newspaper office, kosher supermarket and police.
Families of the victims, many weeping and embracing, were at the front of the march along with the world leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Deafening applause rang out over the square as the leaders walked past, amid tight security and an atmosphere of togetherness amid adversity.
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It was an unprecedented show of unity that the leaders of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority were among the world leaders attending the rally. Mr Netanyahu said the bodies of French Jews killed in a hostage standoff in a Paris grocery store will be buried in Israel.
The aftermath of the attacks remained raw, with video emerging of Amedy Coulibaly, one of the gunmen killed during police raids, pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and detailing how the attacks were going to unfold. Also, a non-fatal shooting in a Paris park on Wednesday was linked to the gunman.
"Today, Paris is the capital of the world," said Mr Hollande. "Our entire country will rise up toward something better."
Rallies were also to be held in London, Madrid and New York - all attacked by al-Qaida-linked extremists - as well as Cairo, Sydney, Stockholm, Tokyo and elsewhere.
Under clear blue skies emotions were running high in the shell-shocked City of Light, as people from all walks of life rallied under the banner of freedom of speech and liberty.
"I want to show that we're not scared of the extremists. I want to defend freedom of expression," said 70-year-old Jacqueline Saad-Rouana.
Another woman in her 50s who declined to be named said the march was "the way to show that I live in a country where everyone has their place".
French President Francois Hollande is surrounded by head of states as they attend the solidarity march (Marche Republicaine) in the streets of Paris January 11, 2015. (Reuters photo)
Defences were beefed up in a jittery Paris still reeling from the Islamist attacks, with thousands of extra troops and police deployed to guard the march and snipers positioned along the route.
Along with Israel's prime minister and Mr Abbas, the king and queen of Jordan were present yesterday, as were a host of top European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel who was seen linking arms with Mr Hollande, and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
US President Barack Obama was represented by Attorney-General Eric Holder, who also took part in an emergency meeting of interior ministers to discuss the threats posed by Islamic extremism.
Mr Hollande has warned his shell-shocked country not to drop its guard in the face of possible new attacks.
Chief rabbi in France Haim Korsia said: "I hope that we will again be able to say we are happy to be Jews in France."
Zakaria Moumni, who was at Republique yesterday added: "I hope that at the end of the day everyone is united. Everyone, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists. We are humans first of all."
German newspaper Bild said the bloodshed in France could signal the start of a wave of attacks in Europe. It said the US National Security Agency had intercepted communications in which leaders of IS announced the next wave of attacks, citing unnamed sources in the US intelligence services.
The three days of terror began Wednesday when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stormed the newsroom of Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen said it directed the attack by the masked gunmen to avenge the honor of the Prophet Muhammad, a frequent target of the weekly's satire.
However, Mr Holder said yesterday there was no "credible information" as yet that al-Qaeda was behind the attacks.
On Thursday, police said Coulibaly killed a policewoman on the outskirts of Paris and on Friday, the attackers converged.
While the Kouachi brothers holed up in a printing plant, Coulibaly seized hostages inside a kosher market.
It all ended at dusk Friday with near-simultaneous raids at the printing plant and the market that left all three gunmen dead. Four hostages at the market were also killed.
Hayat Boumeddiene, the widow of the man who attacked the kosher market, is still being sought and was last traced near the Turkey-Syrian border.