More than 100 people, many of them French, marched in downtown Denver on Sunday to show unity in the face of terrorist attacks on a satirical newspaper, a kosher supermarket and on police that killed 17 people in Paris last week.
The demonstration at Civic Center park came on a day when about 1.5 million people marched in Paris, and it was one of 20 marches held throughout the U.S.
“It was important to gather all around the world to show that we are extremely united,” said Omar-Pierre Soubra, president of the Rocky Mountain French-American Chamber of Commerce.
Demonstrators carried signs emblazoned with “Je Suis Charlie” (I am Charlie), a reference to Charlie Hebdo, the satirical weekly where 12 people were gunned down by terrorists Wednesday.
Two days later, another terrorist killed four after taking them hostage in a raid on a kosher grocery store in Paris. A policewoman was also killed.
Isabelle Soller, 52, carried a sign that said “Je suis Charlie, I am Jewish.”
Soller said she grew up in the neighborhood where the kosher market is located. The assault on the market was an obvious attack on Jews, Soller said.
“I grew up with Charlie Hebdo,” she said of the magazine, which was known for satire that mocked all forms of authority. “I always thought that it was very offensive. But whether I approve or not, I like the fact that they were without mercy for everyone.”
Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen said it directed Wednesday’s attack against the publication Charlie Hebdo to avenge the honor of the Prophet Muhammad, a frequent target of the weekly’s satire, according to The Associated Press.
“People shouldn’t kill in the name of religion,” said Bernadette Barbier Toulouse, 55.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or
Solidarity rally. Millions march in France. 9A
