Amid Heavy Security, Huge Crowds Gather for Unity March in Paris
It’s not just another Sunday in Europe as Masses gather and march.
Abbas and Netanyahu, mere feet from one another at the front of the march. (photo via @Elysee) pic.twitter.com/HoujFaLpLb
— Benjamin Silverstein (@bensilverstein) January 11, 2015
On one side of the #Paris march there is Jordan’s King, & PA’s Abbas, on the other end is @netanyahu. pic.twitter.com/y4kHGdbHBb via @Beltrew
— Sheera Frenkel (@sheeraf) January 11, 2015
Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets of Paris to join top French officials and world leaders for a rally and march under extraordinary security in a government-sponsored show of unity and defiance after a series of terrorist attacks.
The French government said it would mobilize 500 additional troops and hundreds more police officers to provide security at the rally, intended to galvanize the shaken country. In the area around Place de la République, where the march was starting, snipers could be seen on rooftops, and security officers were seen checking sewers for explosives. The police swarmed the area, and several subway stops and streets were blocked off.
Officials said that public transport in Paris would be free all day Sunday to encourage participation in the march.
More: Amid Heavy Security, Huge Crowds Gather for Unity March in Paris
UPDATE: Yours truly got pwned this morning by a photo op… the agony….