Large crowd gathers in Toronto to mourn Paris attacks

With the Toronto sign glowing red, white and blue, hundreds gathered in Nathan Phillips Square this afternoon for a moving vigil following the Paris attacks. Some came draped in French and Canadian flags and many others held signs, flowers and candles.

The Consul General of France, Marc Trouyet, addressed the crowd, thanking Toronto for its continued solidarity.

"Yesterday's attack in Paris took so many lives and tore at the soul of one of the world's great cities in one of the world's great countries," said Mayor John Tory, as he expressed Toronto's condolences and support.

"Our hearts and our prayers go out to the victims, to those who died and to those who were wounded, and to their loved ones, and to all of the people of Paris and to all of the citizens of France," he later continued.

The vigil ended with a moment of silence and afterward, the crowd began to sing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.

Representatives from the provincial and federal governments, including Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett and Ontario's NDP leader Andrea Horwath, were also in attendance, along with city councillors Paula Fletcher and Ana Bailão.

Photo by Mariam Magsi in the blogTO Flickr pool.

by Amy Grief via blogTO