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| Voices from the unity march in Paris: ‘it’s some kind of closure’ | Voices from the unity march in Paris: ‘it’s some kind of closure’ |
| (less than a minute earlier) | |
| Cecile Lebault, a 35-year-old sales rep, carried a banner with the phrases “Not even scared”, “Support for the families”, “Against hate” and “All together”. She said: “We are here today in solidarity against hate, violence and all forms of terrorism, we are here to show that we will not give way to fear and terror. And we are here to say: don’t touch my freedom of expression. Vive la république, vive la France.” | Cecile Lebault, a 35-year-old sales rep, carried a banner with the phrases “Not even scared”, “Support for the families”, “Against hate” and “All together”. She said: “We are here today in solidarity against hate, violence and all forms of terrorism, we are here to show that we will not give way to fear and terror. And we are here to say: don’t touch my freedom of expression. Vive la république, vive la France.” |
| Her friend Natalie Durant, 37, a documentary maker, said the attack on Charlie Hebdo had gone to the heart of what it meant to be French. “We have grown up with Charlie Hebdo, for us it typifies freedom of expression and we want to say: Charlie is not dead.” | Her friend Natalie Durant, 37, a documentary maker, said the attack on Charlie Hebdo had gone to the heart of what it meant to be French. “We have grown up with Charlie Hebdo, for us it typifies freedom of expression and we want to say: Charlie is not dead.” |
| Idriss Nouar, a 41-year-old web developer, of Algerian heritage, said he believed people had taken to the streets in such huge numbers because they were looking for closure after a traumatic week. “For three days we have been glued to our television screens, we cried, we lit candles – we didn’t know what to do or how to explain how we felt. Today, here, with the chants, the clapping, the slow walking, it’s a way of expressing our distress and it’s some kind of closure.” | Idriss Nouar, a 41-year-old web developer, of Algerian heritage, said he believed people had taken to the streets in such huge numbers because they were looking for closure after a traumatic week. “For three days we have been glued to our television screens, we cried, we lit candles – we didn’t know what to do or how to explain how we felt. Today, here, with the chants, the clapping, the slow walking, it’s a way of expressing our distress and it’s some kind of closure.” |
| He said he was anxious for his father, who looks “more obviously Algerian”. “Being here, seeing this kind of unity is making me feel better,” he said. “But I have been scared that crazy people will just start attacking people who look like that. What we’ve seen in the last few days is that it only takes a very few people to cause a lot of harm.” | He said he was anxious for his father, who looks “more obviously Algerian”. “Being here, seeing this kind of unity is making me feel better,” he said. “But I have been scared that crazy people will just start attacking people who look like that. What we’ve seen in the last few days is that it only takes a very few people to cause a lot of harm.” |
| Christine Kratz, 65, grabbed a pencil in between her teeth. “That’s scary, isn’t it?”, she joked. “You know we have been crying for three days and now we are here to laugh in solidarity.” | Christine Kratz, 65, grabbed a pencil in between her teeth. “That’s scary, isn’t it?”, she joked. “You know we have been crying for three days and now we are here to laugh in solidarity.” |
| She said she thought the last time so many people had been on the streets of Paris was the end of the second world war. “I have been to demonstrations all my life and I have never seen anything like this,” she said. “They wanted to kill freedom of expression, they wanted to assassinate intelligence and kill humour. But they haven’t succeeded. But still, they [the attack victims] are dead. And if we laugh today, it is with a heavy heart.” | She said she thought the last time so many people had been on the streets of Paris was the end of the second world war. “I have been to demonstrations all my life and I have never seen anything like this,” she said. “They wanted to kill freedom of expression, they wanted to assassinate intelligence and kill humour. But they haven’t succeeded. But still, they [the attack victims] are dead. And if we laugh today, it is with a heavy heart.” |
| Asked whether she believed that the unity shown on Sunday would continue, she said she was hopeful that some of the spirit would remain. “Of course it won’t stay like this but I hope it won’t result in too much hate, because if we feel nothing but hate, they have won, and we can’t let that happen. It’s up to each and every one of us to say when we hear hate speech: ‘Stop.’ And say ‘no’ to intolerance.” | Asked whether she believed that the unity shown on Sunday would continue, she said she was hopeful that some of the spirit would remain. “Of course it won’t stay like this but I hope it won’t result in too much hate, because if we feel nothing but hate, they have won, and we can’t let that happen. It’s up to each and every one of us to say when we hear hate speech: ‘Stop.’ And say ‘no’ to intolerance.” |
| Ahmed Dosso, a high school student who lives in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, had come to the march on his own. On his back he had pinned his own drawing of a pencil with the words: “It’s ink that should flow, not blood. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.” He said he wanted to take to the streets to show his condemnation of the horrific acts that had rocked France this week and to prove that not all Muslims were the same. “There is a phrase in the Qur’an that says the strongest man is the one who lets others speak,” he said. | Ahmed Dosso, a high school student who lives in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, had come to the march on his own. On his back he had pinned his own drawing of a pencil with the words: “It’s ink that should flow, not blood. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.” He said he wanted to take to the streets to show his condemnation of the horrific acts that had rocked France this week and to prove that not all Muslims were the same. “There is a phrase in the Qur’an that says the strongest man is the one who lets others speak,” he said. |
| Dosso said he was scarred of the consequences of this week of terror, and feared a rise in Islamaphobic attacks and sentiment. “There is a lot of racism in France,” he said. “Lots of people will think all Muslims are the same, but I am here to say I do not agree with what those men did.” | Dosso said he was scarred of the consequences of this week of terror, and feared a rise in Islamaphobic attacks and sentiment. “There is a lot of racism in France,” he said. “Lots of people will think all Muslims are the same, but I am here to say I do not agree with what those men did.” |
| As the darkness deepened at the Place de la Nation, the atmosphere was defiant as thousands remained long after the dignitaries had left. | As the darkness deepened at the Place de la Nation, the atmosphere was defiant as thousands remained long after the dignitaries had left. |
| People lit flares and renditions of La Marseillaise rang out again and again, each time concluding with loud rounds of applause. Cries of “Liberté” rang out, while a young woman led a chant of “Merci Charlie”. | People lit flares and renditions of La Marseillaise rang out again and again, each time concluding with loud rounds of applause. Cries of “Liberté” rang out, while a young woman led a chant of “Merci Charlie”. |
| Francois, 52, and Mina, 57 – who did not wish to give their surnames as they said they were, simply, French among the French – said they were proud of the masses who had taken to the streets. | Francois, 52, and Mina, 57 – who did not wish to give their surnames as they said they were, simply, French among the French – said they were proud of the masses who had taken to the streets. |
| “It’s important to be part of this voice,” said Francois. “Together we have a voice,together we can say that we will not be divided, we are the people. We will not answer hate with hate.”“I’m proud of and happy to be French today,” said Mina. “Today we show our pain together but we don’t have to live like this. We are saying no to violence, and that is liberating.”Among those who remained at the rally were a group who held aloft a series of illuminated letters. Together, they read: solidarity. | “It’s important to be part of this voice,” said Francois. “Together we have a voice,together we can say that we will not be divided, we are the people. We will not answer hate with hate.”“I’m proud of and happy to be French today,” said Mina. “Today we show our pain together but we don’t have to live like this. We are saying no to violence, and that is liberating.”Among those who remained at the rally were a group who held aloft a series of illuminated letters. Together, they read: solidarity. |
| • This article was amended on 15 January 2015 to clarify a statement from one of the interviewees about people coming on to the streets of Paris at the end of the second world war. | • This article was amended on 15 January 2015 to clarify a statement from one of the interviewees about people coming on to the streets of Paris at the end of the second world war. |