Trafalgar Square in London was unusually quiet and reflective today as thousands flocked to stand in sympathy with Paris and those left bereaved this week by an Islamist terror gang there.
Thousands came and held up pens, pencils, crayons, signs and their own hand drawn cartoons. They sang Le Marseillaise and applauded.
As darkness fell they lay down their pens on the floor and lit candles, the National Gallery was lit up in red, white and blue and Trafalgar Square’s famous fountains alternated between those same colours.
Some chose to hold up the offending Charlie Hebdo cartoons, but I have not published those photos. I have however published photos of those brave, brave women who I saw holding up signs stating Je Suis Juif. I hope they stay safe.
I also hope that the likes of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign that pour out hatred and lies to naive minds about Israel will now cease their vile activities.
Many of the anti-Israel events I have attended, and written up on this blog, are either full of support for Hamas and Hezbollah who state publicly their desire to murder Jews or they contain outright anti-Semitic language.
If something similar to Paris happens in London we will know who to blame.
Here are some of the scenes from today:
National Gallery lit up in Trafalgar Square.
A fountain alternates red, white and blue.
RichardMillett's Blog 
“I also hope that the likes of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign that pour out hatred and lies to naive minds about Israel will now cease their vile activities.”
Ah, Richard, if only, if only…Sadly, closed minds, refusing to accept evidence and forever intent on blaming the victims for the perpetrators’ aggression have been with us for forever. Can we really expect the closed minds of the PSC et al to be suddenly opened by an attack on freedom of speech, to say nothing of an attack on freedom itself: the very freedom which allows them to pour forth their hatred and lies?
to add to my comment above, a link to an article in The Times of Israel: http://www.timesofisrael.com/jesuischarlie-campaign-angers-al-jazeera-staff/?utm_source=The+Times+of+Israel+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=226fef092f-2014_01_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adb46cec92-226fef092f-54417869. Seems that a rift has developed among the Al Jazeera staff, with the western correspondents basically supporting Charlie Hebdo, et al, and numerous of the Moslem and Gulf based journalists disagreeing, soemtimes quite violently.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of journalists!
Could not agree with you more You do an amazing job at getting people to open their eyes . Europe is sleep walking their way into a disaster and its sad they only wake up when this happens I just hope they don’t have short memories
Laura
Thank you Richard.
I was very touched by your reflective words.
I am quite shocked by these events and my heart goes out for the families of the dead.
Lets hope for calm and reason. Retaliation will bring more bloodshed.
Je suis Charlie
Je suis juif
I was there too. As were many Musiims.
Not sure why you have to bring up the PSC. As far as I am aware they have not opened fire in newspaper offices or in kosher supermarkets.
Je suis Charlie, Je suis Juif, Je suis Ahmed, Nous sommes ensembles.
I saw you, right behind Abbas, tongue out.
I’ve published a selection of full-fat 100-octane Charlie Hebdo cartoons on my blog and FB page. I think this is the best response: to promulgate precisely what the murderers objected to. If you keep quiet for fear of causing offense – they’ve won.
Two comments. 1. Who was Abass representing? Hamas ruled Gaza doesn’t recognise his Presidency, and there should have been an election in 2009, so he is illegally in office. 2. How long will this unity last in France between the Muslims and Catholics? Will the exodus of French Jews stop or increase? Worrying times for all. Brian Lux
======================================== Message Received: Jan 11 2015, 08:27 PM
not one cartoon shown in this piece. SHAME!!!!!!
The PSC, Limmud Trumpton, provides the breeding ground for acts of terrorism by inciting hatred and anger with their campaigns of vitriol. Did you think the shootings in Paris came from nowhere?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Armchair/Limmud was a member of PSC Hate Group;
An extremist Muslim will kill you. A “moderate” Muslim will wish an extremist Muslim will kill you. Of course, PSC support “moderate” Muslims.
PSC should be banned for their hate speech, at least in France, where there are laws against these . Not so suprising that they failure to apply their own laws on this point led to such massacre. And the tolerance shown in UK makes it the general HQ for terrorist inciters of all Western Europe.
And of course there is Tim Wilcox interrupting a Jewish woman he was interviewing for the BBC to remind her of what he says Israel has done to the Arabs in Israel – trying to justify the killing of Jews in Paris where Islamic terrorists massacred 17 people on an ideological rampage. It is understood that there was a car accident involving the terrorist who killed the four Jews in the grocery store, thus foiling his intention to kill hundreds of Jewish children in a Chabad school in Paris. It was at that accident that he shot the investigating policewoman before making his way to the kosher shop whilst his wife went on to the airport to escape to Syria into the welcoming arms of ISIS.
Israel caused 9/11! Stephen Sizer says so and he is a vicar!
Paul Sizer might be a vicar but that is just more evidence that these days religion is the last refuge of a scoundrel – who can not get elected.
Dr Johnson once panned Wilkes as, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Justifiable as Wilkes ended as a very rich merchant and a term as Lord Mayor of London. One does not have to go far in Paris or any French town to see the multitude of professional plates on doors with Arabic names. The bottom line is that all communities have their losers and some losing shows as criminality. The Kouachi bros who spat on the Republic – les Kouachi qui ont crache sur La Marianne – are a pair of such failures who instead of trying to pull themselves up by their bootstraps have resorted to religious violence as the last refuge of an arrogant scoundrel. Since Newton survival depends more on Maths than prayers and too many of these people like other religious maniacs do themselves no good by despising secular education as infidel stuff that is not in my book is not knowledge.
Let’s not forget the blatant errors of French “Intelligence” (so to speak) Services that ignored the radicalisation in prison by a Muslim cleric, the neglecting םכ travel(s) to Yemen of the other, the ultra-antisemitism — even for his ‘peers’ who are not suspect of being very moderate themselves — and other signs. No surveillance, no arrest, no interrogation by the police.
The special forces did a fine professional job but preventing is better than curing. 17 innocents paid the price of Islamism this time. How many more before Europe cracks down on Muslim extremism?
Frank
I will not hear a word said against Rev Sizer! He went to a conference in Iran on Zionism so he is an expert, you know. Really, show some respect.
PS:Irony. I am the most committed Zionist you will ever meet. Fully paid up ZF member and will bleat on about the State of Israel to anyone who listens (and if they don’t want to I bleat on even more.)
UM ISRAEL CHAI
It is notorious that surveillance costs a lot of staff. Today I heard on French radio that the internal intelligence for the home dissidents – Renseignments Generaux or Special Branch; and the DST which is aimed at the “Visitors” each have about 4 or 5000 staff. The nit picking about who did or did not do what, is already well under way.
This whole affair is a wake up call that what has been allowed to slip to avoid friction with the Moslem population in general – and the relations and attitudes to Israel in the corner – has now spilled over as dangerous for all.
Meanwhile do check out on web The Declaration of the Rights of Man Arts 4 and 10 and note the caveats about public order.