Locals Gather In Honor Of Those Killed In Paris Terrorist Attack
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- For the second time in as many nights, the French community in South Florida gathered for a rally to show support for the victims of the terrorist attack in Paris.
On Thursday, dozens of people stood at the Torch of Friendship in Downtown Miami to express their condolences.
It was mostly a quiet gathering, save for a brief time when the attendees sang the French national anthem.
"It really warms my heart to see all of this solidarity," Candice Bacly said.
WATCH Lauren Pastrana's report, click here.
Bacly moved to Miami from France just 5 weeks ago.
Like her fellow countrymen, she's saddened and outraged by the brutal terror attack at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris that left 12 people dead.
"Animals wouldn't do this," Marguerite Gil told CBS4's Lauren Pastrana. "This is a barbaric act that is infringing on our freedom and we cannot let this happen."
"I feel that the equivalent in the United States would be to put Bill Maher, David Letterman, John Stewart and Jay Leno in the same room and kill them all in 5 minutes. This is the type of journalism that was shot yesterday in France," Valerie Bauwens said.
The Consul General of France in Miami was in attendance along with Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez.
Some people carried pens, while others held signs that read "Je Suis Charlie".
The phrase "I am Charlie" has become the rally cry for freedom of expression across the globe.
"It means that all of us are the assassinated 12. It could have been any one of us and we stand in solidarity with them," Michel Renault said.
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