Solidarity rally gathered Sunday at Los Angeles City Hall

Carrying “Je Suis Charlie” signs, along with French and American flags and glowing candles, hundreds of people assembled outside of Los Angeles City Hall Jan. 11 to pay tribute to the 17 people killed in two terrorist attacks in Paris, on Jan. 7 and Jan. 9.

Organized by the French consulate in Los Angeles in solidarity with a march in Paris that reportedly drew more than 1 million people, the Los Angeles gathering included speeches by politicians, diplomats, rabbis and other  religious leaders from across the Southland, including Consul General of France in Los Angeles Axel Cruau, Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles David Siegel and members of the Los Angeles City Council. According to the rally’s announcement, the purpose was “to pay tribute to the journalists, the artists, the policemen, the hostages and the people who lost their lives this week in France.”

“We need humor to digest the tragedies of the world, and it is hard to comprehend that it was humorists that were the victims of a tragedy,” cartoonist Patrick Chappatte said to the crowd. 

“Let’s not let cartoonists get involved in a war of any kind, except for a war against stupidity,” Chappatte continued. “Let’s keep their spirit alive.” 

Other speakers praised the cartoonists killed at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, condemned anti-Semitic violence and violence against people exercising free speech, and offered solace to the French people in their time of mourning.

At the end of the event, City Councilman Tom LaBonge called for a moment of silence, after which the crowd erupted into “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem.