French press review 12 January 2015

The French newspapers are all headlining on yesterday's unity march.

"France is standing up" reads Le Figaro's cover.

For once, L'Humanité is running a similar headline: you'll find a picture of the République square on the front page of the communist daily. "A People is rising" are headlining L'Huma chose to run with.

On the back of the newspaper, you’ll find a blank square. “This is where Charb used to draw” it says.

Libération has a beautiful picture of the march taking the entire cover. "We are a people" is written in white letters across the newspaper.

"On your feet" reads La Croix front page.

Even sports daily L'Equipe headlines on the march. They choose to publish a nice cartoon: on it you'll see people marching on the republic square, the words the great march are written on there. Inside the cartoon, a man is holding a banner that reads "We are Charlie". He says "It's the first time I do some sport".

4 million people took the street yesterday, but what about the rest of the French population?

Libération was wondering the same thing. That's why one of their journalists went to speak to people who chose not to attend the unity march. First, there are the people who were working yesterday, and wished they could attend. But there are also people "who were not Charlie".

For example, Hayette made the choice to stay at her place "because she felt the march was politically motivated". Others, like Boubacar, did not attend "because they were shocked by Charlie Hebdo's cartoons".

But this answer from Eric, who went to see a film with his friends, is revealing that there is a lot to work to be done here in France. He says: "Okay, but what will we do tomorrow? Point the finger at us? I don't want to be a part of France for just one afternoon, but every day".

Many head of states also attended the unity march yesterday: François Hollande even called Paris "The Capital of the world".

But that doesn't stop today's L'Humanité to remind us that not all of them defend freedom of speech in their own country. Take Victor Orban, Hungary's Prime Minister or Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign Affair minister for example. The two of them are known for their tight control of the press says L'Huma.

Letitia, one of the marchers, thinks "Hollande shouldn't have invited anyone". But they were also some positive things explains the communist daily. Benjamin Netanyahou, the Israeli Prime Minister, was standing 2 meters from Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian head of State.

Le Figaro is saying some French Medias are under criticism for their coverage of the attacks... On BFM TV last Sunday, the wife of one of the Porte de Vincennes hostages accused the news TV channel of having made a big mistake reports Le Figaro.

According to her, the journalists of the TV channel called some of the hostages who where hiding in the basement of the Kosher Shop. BFM TV shared that information on TV and terrorist Amedy Coulibaly, unaware five people were hiding, was watching the TV channel at the time.

Luckily he did not catch the information. This brought a wave of criticism on how the French TV stations covered the events. But in Le Figaro, BFM TV denies having been in contact with any of the hostages. They even say they've been in direct contact with the French Police during the three days.

After last week events, the French Jewish community worries over its own security. You'll find that story in today's La Croix. This, of course, comes after four people were killed on Friday in a kosher shop at Porte de Vincennes in Paris.

"For the first time of I'm life, I'm scared" says André, a 43 year old man living nearby. Another is tired of anti-Semitism in France. "We're French, we're Republicans and we are always attacked" he explains.

That's what propelled the government take a stand on the issue explains the Catholic newspaper. François Hollande announced yesterday that the synagogues and Jewish schools will now be protected.