Long plagued by deep political divisions and accused of chronic discontent and disunity, France has set many of its differences aside and pulled together after a deadly Islamist attack on freedom of speech.
In the bloodbath on Wednesday, two gunmen burst into the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, shot a maintenance worker in the reception area before moving to the newsroom where they killed prominent journalists and cartoonists, a policeman and visitor, and later executed another officer who tried to stop them.
Stunned by the brutality and magnitude of the attack that left 12 dead, people around the world poured onto the streets to mourn the victims while leaders from far afield joined together in condemnation, but nowhere was the outpouring of solidarity more acute than in France.
Citizens in their tens of thousands gathered spontaneously across the country in poignant vigils shortly after the attack, and political foes who would normally have met through gritted teeth set their differences aside and held talks.
On Thursday evening, several thousand people gathered again at the Place de la Republique in Paris, a traditional protest site, shouting "He isn't dead, Charlie" or "Hip hip hurrah, we are Charlie."
- Le Pen to meet Hollande -
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president and the current head of the opposition UMP party, met with President Francois Hollande in his first visit to the Elysee Palace since handing over power to the Socialist leader in May 2012.
Sarkozy said he was "quite impressed and overwhelmed by the attitude of our countrymen and women and the spontaneous demonstrations of unity."
Perhaps even more unusual in France's cut-throat political landscape was news that Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front party, had been invited to meet Hollande on Friday, as have far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon and centrist Francois Bayrou.
But Le Pen -- whose success in last year's local and European elections has threatened the ruling Socialists and opposition UMP -- blasted the fact she had not been invited to join other parties in an official commemorative march due on Sunday.
Religious figures and groups nationwide also joined in condemnation of the bloodbath committed by gunmen shouting "Allahu akbar" ("God is greatest").
Charlie Hebdo has long mocked many religions with provocative drawings, a practice that outraged some Muslims in particular, whose religion forbids depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.
In a joint statement led by the head of the French Muslim Council, Islamic organisations across France called on the faithful to gather together "in dignity and silence" after Friday prayers to commemorate the victims and urged imams to condemn "violence and terrorism."
Television pictures also showed children at a Muslim school in the northern city of Lille holding up sheets of paper with "not in my name".
France has Europe's largest Muslim community, and is also home to the biggest Jewish population on the continent.
Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia, visibly moved, said the attack reminded him of a 2012 assault in the southwestern city of Toulouse that killed seven, including three children and a teacher at a Jewish school.
"We need this time of national unity and we need to defend our freedoms together, including freedom of expression," he said.
- Fears of Islamophobia -
But not all citizens in Paris joined in this show of unity, some blaming Muslims in general for the attack despite repeated calls not to give into Islamophobia.
"We let Arabs, immigrants yell... Barbarity comes from some communities, not all of them," a woman in her sixties shopping in central Paris said in reaction to the attacks.
But Ylham, a 35-year-old Franco-Moroccan non-practicing Muslim, pointed out that the attackers had nothing to do with Islam.
"I think there will be a direct repercussion on Arabs, Muslims. I can understand them, I'm the first to be angry at these people (attackers)."
On social networks, meanwhile, many users changed their profile pictures to a black banner with the words "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie" in French) in honour of the victims.
"They wanted to bring France to its knees, instead it rose up," said one user, @AnneBATAILLE.
Long plagued by deep political divisions and accused of chronic discontent and disunity, France has set many of its differences aside and pulled together after a deadly Islamist attack on freedom of speech.
In the bloodbath on Wednesday, two gunmen burst into the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, shot a maintenance worker in the reception area before moving to the newsroom where they killed prominent journalists and cartoonists, a policeman and visitor, and later executed another officer who tried to stop them.
Stunned by the brutality and magnitude of the attack that left 12 dead, people around the world poured onto the streets to mourn the victims while leaders from far afield joined together in condemnation, but nowhere was the outpouring of solidarity more acute than in France.
Citizens in their tens of thousands gathered spontaneously across the country in poignant vigils shortly after the attack, and political foes who would normally have met through gritted teeth set their differences aside and held talks.
On Thursday evening, several thousand people gathered again at the Place de la Republique in Paris, a traditional protest site, shouting “He isn’t dead, Charlie” or “Hip hip hurrah, we are Charlie.”
– Le Pen to meet Hollande –
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president and the current head of the opposition UMP party, met with President Francois Hollande in his first visit to the Elysee Palace since handing over power to the Socialist leader in May 2012.
Sarkozy said he was “quite impressed and overwhelmed by the attitude of our countrymen and women and the spontaneous demonstrations of unity.”
Perhaps even more unusual in France’s cut-throat political landscape was news that Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front party, had been invited to meet Hollande on Friday, as have far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon and centrist Francois Bayrou.
But Le Pen — whose success in last year’s local and European elections has threatened the ruling Socialists and opposition UMP — blasted the fact she had not been invited to join other parties in an official commemorative march due on Sunday.
Religious figures and groups nationwide also joined in condemnation of the bloodbath committed by gunmen shouting “Allahu akbar” (“God is greatest”).
Charlie Hebdo has long mocked many religions with provocative drawings, a practice that outraged some Muslims in particular, whose religion forbids depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.
In a joint statement led by the head of the French Muslim Council, Islamic organisations across France called on the faithful to gather together “in dignity and silence” after Friday prayers to commemorate the victims and urged imams to condemn “violence and terrorism.”
Television pictures also showed children at a Muslim school in the northern city of Lille holding up sheets of paper with “not in my name”.
France has Europe’s largest Muslim community, and is also home to the biggest Jewish population on the continent.
Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia, visibly moved, said the attack reminded him of a 2012 assault in the southwestern city of Toulouse that killed seven, including three children and a teacher at a Jewish school.
“We need this time of national unity and we need to defend our freedoms together, including freedom of expression,” he said.
– Fears of Islamophobia –
But not all citizens in Paris joined in this show of unity, some blaming Muslims in general for the attack despite repeated calls not to give into Islamophobia.
“We let Arabs, immigrants yell… Barbarity comes from some communities, not all of them,” a woman in her sixties shopping in central Paris said in reaction to the attacks.
But Ylham, a 35-year-old Franco-Moroccan non-practicing Muslim, pointed out that the attackers had nothing to do with Islam.
“I think there will be a direct repercussion on Arabs, Muslims. I can understand them, I’m the first to be angry at these people (attackers).”
On social networks, meanwhile, many users changed their profile pictures to a black banner with the words “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie” in French) in honour of the victims.
“They wanted to bring France to its knees, instead it rose up,” said one user, @AnneBATAILLE.
