Thousands of Londoners showed solidarity with victims of the Paris terror attacks during a vigil held in Trafalgar Square on Saturday.
The mourners — many of whom were French — began to gather earlier in the afternoon, despite the autumn drizzle.
"I think everyone is pretty stunned that we have had two major attacks in a very short space of time," said Tomasz, a French transport agency worker living in London recalling January's attack on Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Tomasz said it was important for cities around the world to hold vigils like this. "I'm here at the vigil mainly because I'm French, but this could have happened somewhere else in Europe - and I probably would have still come along.
Margot, a 22-year-old from Paris, told BuzzFeed News she only found out what happened when her sister told her to switch on the news.
She was later relieved to learn that a friend who works at Le Petit Cambodge, one of the restaurants that was attacked, wasn't working that night and was safe.
"Fortunately," she said, "Facebook has this app that can tell people if you are secure or not."
"Now I know that everybody I know is alright, but my country is not," she said.
The vigil lasted into the night and more than tripled in size.
People held signs, French flags, candles, and phone flashlights.
Others sang French anthems, like The Marseillaise or Champs Elysées.
A lone violinist played as the crowd listened quietly.
This guy turned up at the Trafalgar Square solidarity gathering and silenced thousands of people. I have no words
The National Gallery — the stately building looming over the vigil — was lit with France's tricolor red, white, and blue. Elsewhere in London, other landmarks were similarly lit.
Saturday's gathering was eerily reminiscent of a vigil for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in Paris, held in the same spot just ten months ago.
