'We are here to support freedom. We will not be beaten'-shows of solidarity across France today

An estimated 3.7million gathered in shows of solidarity across France today in tribute to those killed by terrorists

Unprecedented crowds were seen in Paris where millions walked the capital's streets chanting 'Je suis Charlie'

British Prime Minister David Cameron linked arms with other world leaders to lead the proceedings this afternoon

President Francois Hollande began the march, poignantly telling crowds: 'Today, Paris is the capital of the world'

Elsewhere crowds gathered in major world cities, with famous monuments illuminated in the Tricolor 

Huge number of people: Demonstrators make their way along Boulevard Voltaire in a unity rally in Paris following the recent terrorist attacks

French President Francois Hollande (centre) welcomes the Interior Ministers Jorge Fernandez Diaz of Spain (second left), Bernard Cazeneuve of France (third left), US Attorney General Eric Holder (fourth left), British Home Secretary Teresa May (second right) and European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos (right) at the Elysee Palace before they participate in the march

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Men carry a giant figure of Marianne, the French symbol of liberty, as others carry Tricolors and placards with messages of hope overhead 
The route of defiance: An estimated 2million marched through the streets of Paris today to gather in the Place de la Republique
As night fell a celebratory atmosphere spread among the remaining crowds, with youngsters scaling the monument in Place de la Republique to chant: 'Vive la France!'

A projection of the Tricolor in Trafalgar Square tonight after hundreds gathered in a show of solidarity for those marching in France'The worst possible thing would be to allow them to succeed and that's why it's so important that so many voices from all communities and across all religions have all joined together to denounce what has happened in Paris.' 

Also joining the crowds was deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, just hours after he was slammed by a former security minister for 'blocking' an anti-terror bill.
Labour peer Lord West told the BBC's Andrew Marr show the government’s Communications Data Bill, dubbed a ‘snoopers’ charter’ by opponents, was needed to track terrorist suspects.

The bill allows the security services to monitor who people are emailing and what they are looking at online.‘I think that needs to go through,' he said. 'I was very irked that it was removed, in fact it was removed by the Deputy Prime Minister, when it had all been agreed across all parties.’

Joining the politicians were hundreds of members of the public holding signs saying 'Je Suis Charlie'. Some held pens in the air as a symbolic gesture to those killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Musician Shantanu Adib, 29, originally from Bangladesh, said he was raised a Muslim and the extremists scare the 's***' out of him.

He stood in the square with a cartoon he had drawn with '#Je Suis Charlie' written underneath, which he said was a picture of an extremist but with a penis for a nose.

LONDON: A demonstrator holds a pen in symbolic support of the Paris victims in a solidarity gathering at London's Trafalgar Square today

LONDON: Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam join crowds in Trafalgar Square this afternoon as 

protesters gathered across the worl

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Earlier today the Deputy Prime Minister was accused of having a hand in enabling the movements of terrorists by blocking a Parliament bill  





Today's historic mass rally in Paris is expected to draw more than a million people and a long list of world leaders in tribute to 17 people killed in three days of Islamist attacks.

It will include dozens of heads of state and government, along with French political leaders from both the left and right. Here is a list of world political figures who have confirmed their attendance:

EUROPE
French President Francois Hollande
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
British Prime Minister David Cameron
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker
European Parliament President Martin Schulz
European Union President Donald Tusk
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico
Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boïko Borissov
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven 
Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga
Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibachvili
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz

NORTH AMERICA
US Attorney General Eric Holder
Canadian Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney

MIDDLE EAST
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
Jordanian King Abdullah II and Queen Rania
Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan
Qatari Sheikh Mohamed Ben Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani
Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled ben Ahmed Al Khalifa and Prince Abdullah Ben Hamad al-Khalifa

AFRICA
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
Gabonese President Ali Bongo
Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou
Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi
Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra

From: the dailymail