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Minute's silence to be held by top two French football divisions to honor Charlie Hebdo victims
Lille and Evian held silence prior to their Ligue 1 match Wednesday
12 people were killed when magazine's Paris office was stormed
French football is to honor the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre with a minute’s silence before all its weekend matches.
The shooting at the satirical magazine in Paris on Wednesday that claimed the lives of 12 people, including two police officers, has stunned the nation.
And prior to the meeting of Lille and Evian in Ligue 1 Wednesday, players from both sides stood silent for a minute prior to kick-off to also pay their respects.
Lille expressed its “dismay and sadness” on the club’s official Twitter account while Evian posted a picture that said “Je suis Charlie” – the hashtag that has been used to show solidarity with satirical French magazine.
“Following the events in Paris on Wednesday, January 7, a minute’s silence will be held before all games in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 over the weekend,” the French League’s statement read.
The attack was seemingly in response to cartoons the satirical magazine published lampooning the Muslim prophet, Mohammed.
Police are still hunting for chief suspects Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Said Kouachi, 34, while a third man handed himself in.
On Wednesday night, Parisians took to the streets of the capital to protest at the shootings.
At an event in Paris’ Place de la Republique, demonstrators held up pens and chanted, “We are Charlie!”
Similar demonstrations took place in other cities, including Rome, Berlin and Barcelona. French President Francois Hollande declared Thursday a national day of mourning.
