Hundreds of New Yorkers converged on Union Square in the bitter cold on Wednesday evening to show support for victims of the horrific attack on Charlie Hebdo journalists in Paris.We sent photographer Pete Voelker to the scene, where he found a healthy mix of French expats and sympathetic Americans. A rendition of the French national anthem La Marseillaise broke out. Also on hand was at least one copy of the satirical weekly at the center of this tragedy.
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Just as they did in London and Los Angeles—and plenty of other cities around the world—attendees displayed their indignation at such a flagrant assault on freedom of expression, not to mention the absurd loss of life over a bunch of drawings. (Leading French newspaper Le Monde dubbed this slaughter the French 9/11 on its cover Thursday.)Whether the crowd members were fans of slain cartoonists Jean Cabut and Georges Wolinski, or just fellow humans determined to defy those who would stamp out controversial satire, attendees did everything they could to demonstrate solidarity with their brethren across the Atlantic.Check out the photos below, and follow Pete Voelker on Twitter.