Je Suis Charlie:
Special Edition
For those of you who have been following the tragic events
of the past several days in Paris, you know that the attacks on the editors and
cartoonists of the magazine Charlie
Hebdo have sparked national outrage at intolerance, at threats to liberty
and at terrorists. The two incidents in
Paris have been likened to our 9/11, not in scope but in how it has transformed
a nation. All across France there have been spontaneous outpourings of support
for freedom of the press and a strong desire to fight terrorism with national
unity.
This morning, Cindy and I joined 25,000 of our closest
friends in Nice to participate in a silent march in support of freedom of the
press. The rallying cry has been Je Suis Charlie, I am Charlie, a
reference to the magazine Charlie Hebdo.
As you can see from the some of the photos attached, most everyone had a
sign that read Je Suis Charlie, even Cindy made her own. Others simply held up
pens or pencils as a symbol of the strength of the press and solidarity with
the cartoonists and editorial staff who perished in the slaughter on Wednesday.
It was a very somber moment and yet there was a great sense
of camaraderie from all of those who came to march. At several times there were spontaneous
chants of Je Suis Charlie and at other times groups would burst out singing the
French National Anthem, La Marseillaise. I found it profoundly moving and though
I rarely shoot any video, I wanted to remember this day, which is why my legs
are aching as I write.
We had about
1,000 people ahead of us and about 24,000 behind us when we bolted from the
march and made the climb to the highest point in Nice, the site of the old
Chateau, some 300 feet above the city. From there I was able to shoot a few
photos of the huge crowd and I made several videos, two of which I shall share
with those of you who want to see them.
I assure you, they are quite moving.
It has been a remarkable day here in Nice and tomorrow, they expect more
than a million people to have a similar march in Paris. Check your local stations!
A bientôt, Cindy and Wm
 |
| Cindy, aka, Je Suis Charlie |
 |
| Starting Point of March |
 |
| 25,000 Strong on the Promenade |
No comments:
Post a Comment