How the Charlie Hebdo attack unites the world
Saturday marked the start of a weekend of rallies in cities worldwide, as hundreds of thousands gathered in Paris to protest this week鈥檚 shooting at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Masked gunmen entered the publication鈥檚 Paris offices Wednesday morning and killed 12 people, including 10 staff members and two police officers, in what French president Francois Hollande has called 鈥�undoubtedly a terrorist attack.鈥� Authorities say the gunmen were motivated by the magazine鈥檚 satirical depictions of the Prophet Mohammad and criticisms of fundamentalist Islam. Another attack Friday at a kosher supermarket in the city brought the total dead to 17.聽
While the online response was immediate聽鈥� the Twitter hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, or 鈥淚 Am Charlie,鈥� had been retweeted more than 3.4 million times as of Thursday, according to Twitter France聽鈥� the reaction has spilled out of the Internet and onto the streets: turned out in cities around France to protest the attack Saturday, AP reports. Authorities expect to be at the demonstrations by Sunday.
" is planned in London Sunday to coincide with those in France, and in tribute, landmarks such as Trafalgar Square and the Tower Bridge will be lit in the French flag's red, white, and blue starting 4 p.m. local time. Since Wednesday, hundreds have already held silent vigils in London, with many protesters carrying signs advocating the right to free expression.
One of the sayings displayed, , is one attributed to Voltaire: 鈥淚 do not agree with what you have to say, but I defend to death your right to say it.鈥� (, according to "What they Didn鈥檛 Say 鈥� A Book of Misquotations.")
In Lebanon, Ayman Mhanna, executive director of the Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom based in Beirut, has rounded up about 1,200 people via Facebook for a Sunday afternoon rally 鈥�.鈥�
Dozens of Palestinians also gathered in Hebron in the West Bank on Saturday, the Jerusalem Post reports.
"This is a stand alongside the French people, who usually stand by the Palestinians,鈥� said Anwar Abu Aisha, head of the Hebron-France Association for Cultural Exchanges, which organized the demonstration. 鈥淭he French people are shocked by these acts that violate their values, especially the freedom and the freedom of speech.鈥�
础苍辞迟丑别谤听 carrying "Je Suis Charlie" signs gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday to listen to speeches condemning the attacks and to have a moment of silence to honor the dead.
In the United States, that they plan to attend an afternoon rally at Washington Square Park in New York City. have pledged to go to another protest being held in partnership with the French Consulate in San Francisco on Sunday.
The rallies are, in some cases, about more than freedom of the press. In Dresden, Germany聽鈥� the center of recent anti-immigration protests in the country -- to speak out against xenophobia and racism, Reuters reports.
"We have made clear that the events in France, this barbaric terrorist act, are a challenge for all of us, for the values that we advocate, to fight for them," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Merkel, who will take part in a silent march in Paris on Sunday,聽added that people must distinguish between Islam and religious fanatics.
The attack on Charlie Hebdo is said to be the .
