The Republican marches () were a series of rallies that took place in cities across France on 10–11 January 2015 to honour the victims of the Charlie Hebdo shooting, the Montrouge shooting and the Porte de Vincennes siege, as well as to voice support for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. French government officials estimated that the rallies were attended by up to 3.7 million people nationwide, making them the largest public rallies in French history. By their broad appeal, they were the first mass movement of their kind since 1944, when Paris was liberated from the Germans at the end of World War II.

In Paris, due to the expected number of people, three streets were planned for the march from Place de la République to Place de la Nation. It was estimated that between 1.5 and 2 million people marched down and nearby Boulevard Voltaire in Paris. The Paris marches were attended by over 80 world leaders, from both Europe and around the world, including President François Hollande. The presence during the marches of foreign leaders who are accused of not respecting freedom of speech in their own country has been criticised.

In other cities in France, more than 300,000 rallied in Lyon, about a quarter of its population. More than 100,000 marched in the streets of Rennes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Montpellier and Marseille (within two days). Major rallies took place in Montreal, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam and Vienna.

In an interview prior to the Republican marches, cartoonist Luz, one of the survivors of the Charlie Hebdo attack, described the show of support for the magazine as "wonderful", but bemoaned a lack of diversity of views in the public discourse following the attacks, which he said served the purposes of politicians, as well the use of symbols, which he characterised as contrary to the values of the magazine. He noted that, following the attacks, "La Marseillaise" had been sung many times by the public, which his dead colleagues would have scorned. Also speaking prior to the marches, Willem, another surviving cartoonist, said that a demonstration in support of free expression would be "naturally a good thing", but rejected the support of far-right figures such as Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders: "We vomit on those who suddenly declare that they are our friends".

Main places

January 10

France

International Brussels: 3,000 Amsterdam: 18,000 (8 January) New York City: 2,000 San Francisco: 500 Boston: 1,000

January 11

France

International

Notable participants

France

International Europe

North America Steven Blaney (Minister of Public Security of Canada) Jane D. Hartley (United States Ambassador to France)Huge Show of Solidarity in Paris Against Terrorism, The New York Times Victoria Nuland (Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs)White House: 'We should have sent someone with a higher profile', CNN

South America José Bustani (Brazilian Ambassador to France)

Asia

Africa

Institutions

Did not attend

Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson did not attend the march; his office released a statement citing the short notice, travel time and the Prime Minister's schedule, and emphasized that no invitation had been rejected, as none had been sent to him specifically. Sigmundur Davíð was the only Western European head of government not to attend the march; instead Iceland was represented by the deputy head of mission at the Icelandic Embassy in Paris, Nína Björk Jónsdóttir. Sigmundur Davíð's absence was criticized in Iceland, and his office acknowledged that a high-ranking official should have attended the march. President of the United States Barack Obama did not attend the Paris march, citing the short notice and the logistics of providing the necessary security. The Secret Service said it was not consulted and an agency official acknowledged that the Secret Service had pulled off previous last minute trips. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that they "should have sent someone with a higher profile" than United States Ambassador to France Jane Hartley.White House: We should have sent someone to Paris march, USA Today United States Attorney General Eric Holder and United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas were in Paris for a security summit convened after the shootings, but did not attend the Paris rally.America's absence at Paris rally a mistake, Chicago Tribune The lack of senior American officials was criticized.

National Front controversy During the organisation march, a controversy arose when Marine Le Pen was told she was not invited in the marches. This is due to the National Front reputation of divisiveness. François Lamy, one of the organisers, said it is not where the National Front should be; it is not where a political party which, for years, has divided French citizens because of their origin or their religion should be.«Il n’y a pas de place» pour le Front national à la «marche républicaine» «Il n’y a pas de place pour une formation politique qui, depuis des années, divise les Français, stigmatise les concitoyens en fonction de leur origine ou de leur religion, ou ne se situe pas dans une démarche de rassemblement des Français» http://www.ledauphine.com/france-monde/2015/01/08/marine-le-pen-denonce-son-exclusion-de-la-marche-republicaine The President closed this political issue declaring that "every citizen can come...it is not controlled.""Tous les citoyens peuvent venir (...), il n'y a pas de contrôles" http://www.franceinfo.fr/actu/faits-divers/article/marche-republicaine-fn-tous-les-citoyens-peuvent-venir-la-manifestation-pour-hollande-628859

References

External links