'Charlie' draws historic crowd, world leaders to Paris

Jane Onyanga-Omara | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption World leaders link arms, lead thousands in Paris rally More than 40 world leaders linked arms and led hundreds of thousands of people in a march of solidarity against terrorism in Paris on Sunday. Supporters waved flags and signs reading "Je suis Charlie."

PARIS — A historic crowd of more than a million people including more than 40 world leaders jammed the streets Sunday, proclaiming "Je suis Charlie," expressing solidarity against terrorism and paying homage to victims of last week's deadly attacks.

French President François Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among the leaders who linked arms to start the march amid intense security. The U.S. representative was Jane Hartley, the ambassador to France.

The gathering brought together leaders of nations and causes often at odds, such as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The emotionally charged rally came just days after 17 people and three Islamic extremist gunmen were killed in three horrifying days of terror in France.

France's Interior Ministry described the demonstration as the largest in the nation's history. More than 3.7 million marched throughout the country, including between 1.2 million and 1.6 million in the capital. The ministry said a precise number was impossible to determine given the enormity of the turnout.

"Today, Paris is the capital of the world," Hollande said. "Our entire country will rise up toward something better."

Hollande and Netanyahu later visited the Grand Synagogue in Paris, which for security reasons did not hold Sabbath services this weekend for the first time since World War II.

"Today I walked the streets of Paris with the leaders of the world to say enough terror -- the time has come to fight terror," Netanyahu said. He also stressed that the enemy is not Islam, but extremists.

Raw: Up to a million join Paris unity rally Hundreds of thousands of people packed into a Paris square Sunday under extraordinary security for a massive unity rally following last week's terror attacks in and around the French capital. Dozens of world leaders are attending the event. (Jan. 11)

The attackers' primary target was the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly publication that has published spoofs of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. The slogan "Je suis Charlie" — I am Charlie — has swept across France and around the globe.

Twelve people were killed when brothers Said, 34, and Cherif Kouachi, 32, stormed the offices magazine's offices Wednesday. Two days later police tracked them to a printing house near Charles de Gaulle Airport where they were killed.

On Thursday, Amedy Coulibaly, 32, shot and killed a policewoman. On Friday he killed four people -- all Jewish -- at a kosher market and threatened more violence unless the police let the Kouachis go. He was killed later in the day during a police assault.

French prosecutors said Coulibaly is also linked to the shooting of a jogger on the same day as the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Video emerged showing Coulibaly pledging allegiance to the Islamic State and claiming he coordinated the attacks with the Kouachi brothers.

Sunday was a day for healing and for unity. Rallies in support of freedom of expression were held across France and in major cities around the globe.

In New York, the Empire State Building was lit in the colors of the French flag as a solidarity gesture. The lights were to be darkened at 8 p.m. ET in memory of those killed in the Paris attacks.

In Paris, the military and police were out in force, with more than 2,000 police officers patrolling the area, French officials said. Another 2,000 officers and 1,300 soldiers were protecting key buildings, landmarks, transportation hubs and Jewish sites.

The rally, featuring family members of those who died in the attacks, drew French celebrities, Christian, Jewish and Muslim community leaders, and politicians from across the French political spectrum.

Paris public transport operator RATP made travel on its metro, bus and tram network free to reduce traffic in the center of the capital. Crowds began gathering hours before the rally started at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) in central Paris.

The boulevards and streets leading to Place de la Republique soon became blocked by the throngs, but a cheerful spirit pervaded among demonstrators. "Today is not the day to be grumpy Parisians," said one woman sporting a bright-red French beret.

Hawkers sold buttons and banners reading "Je Suis Charlie" as well as "Je Suis Ahmed" and "Je Suis Juif (Jewish)." Banners and signs in honor of those who died, cartoons drawn on posterboard and plastic, and mosaics on the ground made from pens, were also being sold.

The display of world leaders did not impress Reporters Without Borders, which issued a statement saying it was "appalled" by some of the countries represented in a rally so closely tied to freedom of expression.

"Journalists and bloggers are systematically persecuted (in) Egypt, Russia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates," the statement said. "We must demonstrate our solidarity with CharlieHebdo without forgetting all the world's other Charlies. ... We must not let predators of press freedom spit on the graves of Charlie Hebdo."

Some rallies kicked off earlier Sunday. In Dammartin-en-Groele, the small industrial town northeast of Paris where the Kouachi brothers were killed by police, tens of thousands of people came out and sang La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, and chanted "Je Suis Charlie."

Blandine Siet, 51, who lives in the Montparnasse neighborhood in south Paris, said she would join the capital city's rally with a group of friends and neighbors to protest the restrictions to freedom of expression that she fears may result from the attack onCharlie Hebdo.

"France is a free country with strong (democratic) values and I want it to stay that way," she said.

Meanwhile, thousands of people gathered Sunday for the funeral of Ahmed Merabet, the police officer shot as he lay wounded on the ground just after the Charlie Hebdo attack. Mourners waved signs reading "Thank you, Ahmed" and "Je Suis Ahmed."

Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara in London; Jabeen Bhatti in Berlin; the Associated Press