French ambassador to US joins hundred in Washington vigil for those killed in Paris

Alexandra Salomon, from Paris, France, center, joins a vigil outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, to pay tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks. Multiple attacks across Paris on Friday night have left scores dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

France’s ambassador to the U.S. joined hundreds who gathered in a Washington, D.C., park Saturday evening in honor of those killed in Friday’s terror attacks in Paris.

They gathered in Lafayette Park, just steps from the White House, to hold a vigil for the more than 127 people killed in the series of attacks on Friday night.

French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud spoke briefly to those gathered at the park, where people similarly gathered following the terror attacks on France’s Charlie Hebdo newspaper in January.

“It’s not a moment to make a speech,” Araud said. “It’s a moment to say thank you to all. … I want to say thank you to all of the American. We are allies.”

Araud also thanked President Obama for his support in the aftermath of the attacks.

Denis McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff, joined those in attendance, as the president had already left for Turkey to attend the G-20 Summit taking place next week.

“We are all facing the same threat,” Araud said of the terror group ISIS, which claimed responsibility for Friday’s attacks.

The attacks likely moved global security and terrorism to the forefront of the upcoming annual summit, which have historically been more focused on economic policy.

A moment of silence followed Araud’s remarks, as people began singing the French national anthem in French.