#CharlieHebdo: World leaders join Paris march; Canada rallies in support

France vowed to combat terrorism with “a cry for freedom” in a giant rally for unity Sunday after three days of bloodshed that horrified the world. Millions of people are expected to join a march through Paris in solidarity with the victims of the Islamist attacks, with dozens of world leaders to attend the show of support for France. The rally Sunday is also a huge security challenge for a nation on alert for more violence, after 17 people and three gunmen were killed over three days of attacks on a satirical newspaper, a kosher supermarket and on police that have left France a changed land. More than 2,000 police are being deployed, in addition to tens of thousands already guarding synagogues, mosques, schools and other sites around France. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls predicted the massive turnout to honour the 17 killed in the attacks which targeted a satirical magazine, kosher supermarket and police.

I have no doubt that millions of citizens will come to express their love of liberty, their love of fraternity.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls

Unity against extremism is the overriding message for Sunday’s rally. Among the attendees are the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian president, the Ukrainian president and Russian foreign minister, and the leaders of Britain, Germany, NATO, the Arab League and African nations, and the French masses, from across the political and religious spectrum. Public Safety Minister Stephen Blaney is representing Canada at the rally. Meanwhile, security levels are being kept at France’s highest level, with investigators trying to track down the girlfriend of one of three gunmen killed in a fiery climax to twin hostage dramas on Friday. The three-day killing spree began Wednesday with the massacre at the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that saw Cherif and Said Kouachi massacre 12 people including some of the country’s best-known cartoonists and a day later, Coulibaly shot dead the policewoman. Across Canada, rallies in support of the victims of the Paris attacks were also planned Sunday for several cities including Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, among other Canadian tributes.

The Montreal Canadiens honored the victims of the terrorist shootings in Paris by playing the French national anthem Saturday night before their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.The French flag was shown waving on the scoreboard at Montreal’s Bell Centre as the Canadiens played ”La Marseillaise” before the American and Canadian anthems.

The Associated Press reports