Thousands gather in Paris to remember January attacks

Several thousand people gather in Paris Sunday in a low-key ceremony to mark a year since a million and half people thronged the French capital in a show of unity following jihadist attacks on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.

Those attending the event in the Place de la Republique are searched by armed police before standing around a simple stage and a monument covered in the red, white and blue French flag.

President Francois Hollande unveils a plaque next to an oak tree planted in the square in memory of the victims of the jihadist attacks that rocked France in 2015, beginning with the shootings at Charlie Hebdo.

Veteran rocker Johnny Hallyday performs a short song and the army’s choir gives a rousing rendition of the Marseillaise.

— AFP