Hundreds attend Washington Square peace rally for Paris
‘I came here to be with France, with people who stand up against fear’
Hundreds gathered in Washington Square Park today to pay their respects after the Paris terrorist attacks last night.
The Square was packed with over 1000 people who sang La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.
At the back of the crowd, a grand piano had been dragged across the square and played Imagine by John Lennon.
The American flag stood at half-mast as hundreds queued to write a message on the paper left from last night’s vigil.
Attending the peace rally was Mayor Bill De Blasio, who said: “If you see something, say something. That phrase is real. It is powerful.”
Signs read “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, “Paris is about life” and “Rue Bichat”, referring to the Paris street where a restaurant was sprayed with gunfire, killing 11.
Isabel Eschailer, a Parisian, was on holiday in New York when the attacks occurred.
She said: “So I came here to be with France, with people who stand up against fear and for French people, Parisians who suffer.
“I am sad but happy to see all these people here, also.
“I think we will be afraid [returning home] but we have to live with freedom and peace and we’ll try to do our best.”
Pictures by Ludivine Clément.