New York marches in solidarity with France

January 11, 2015 08:35 am | Updated April 01, 2016 09:23 pm IST - NEW YORK

Street performer Carolyn Chiu holds a "Je Suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) sign during her act as several hundred people gathered in solidarity with victims of Paris terror attacks, in New York's Washington Square Park.

Street performer Carolyn Chiu holds a "Je Suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) sign during her act as several hundred people gathered in solidarity with victims of Paris terror attacks, in New York's Washington Square Park.

Hundreds of people holding pens aloft in support of free expression rallied in New York City on Saturday to mourn victims of a deadly terror attack targeting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo .

The demonstrators braved freezing temperatures in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park as a woman danced under a sign that read “Je suis Charlie.”

“I am Charlie” has emerged as a rallying cry since two shooters killed 12 people on Wednesday at the Paris headquarters of the weekly. Organisers said they were showing solidarity with the French after three days of violence that, all told, left 20 dead, including three gunmen.

Ollivier Souchard, a French-born New York resident, who brought his family and friends, explained the fierce support for freedom of expression behind Charlie Hebdo’s provocative images.

“Satirical cartoons are essential to us, they’re essential to France. We were raised with great cartoons, but you Americans don’t like to hurt people with cartoons but you should hurt people!”

“Charlie Hebdo would not exist in America,” Mr. Souchard said.

Mr. Souchard said he has been in touch with his friend Philippe Lancon, a Charlie Hebdo columnist, who is recovering from surgery after being shot in the face in the attack.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.