At high noon, the bells of Notre-Dame de Paris sounded the death knell. Hundreds of people gathered there, in the center of the capital, but also in the whole country. A minute of silence to honor the victims of the attack against Charlie Hebdo newspaper.
It is a day of national mourning had declared the French president. François Hollande was with the Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the Prefecture of Police of Paris where the bugle call sounded.
The Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, was he in the courtyard of the Hotel Matignon.
In schools, in public buildings, in transport, in business, a widely observed recollection minute as rarely in the country. This reflects the emotion aroused by this attack.
France is under the sign of unity, a fleeting feeling that the entire political class in unison is reaffirming its commitment to the values of the Republic. The Luxembourg Palace, the minute of silence was observed under the authority of Senate President Gerard Larcher (UMP) and his predecessor Jean-Pierre Bel (PS). In the Assembly, members gathered on the steps sang the Marseillaise after the minute of silence.
But it is not only in France that such a formal tribute was paid. Italian and Spanish parliamentarians have also observed a minute of silence, testimony of many, solidarity with France in mourning.
