Thousands of people held a rally in the French capital Paris to show their support for migrants Saturday, with Europe facing an unprecedented influx of arrivals and divided over the best way to deal with the crisis. Around 8,500 people took part in the demonstration at the Place de République, according to police figures, with many waving flags and placards expressing their solidarity with the migrants. "We are all descendants of immigrants," one sign said. "Open the borders," read another. Smaller rallies were held in other towns and cities in France, with around 10,000 people demonstrating across the country in total. French public opinion has been divided over how to handle the growing demands for asylum, with unemployment far higher than in Germany and a rise in support for the anti-immigration National Front party. But the subdued crowd at the Placed de la République - the same square where tens of thousands gathered in solidarity with the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in January - was a demonstration of the shock many French felt after seeing a widely publicised photo of a dead Syrian boy on a Turkish beach. According to the latest figures, about 350,000 refugees and migrants have reached the border of the European Union this year, while the 28-nation bloc has struggled to find solutions to the crisis. On Thursday, France and Germany agreed to propose a permanent and mandatory system to take in refugees and asylum seekers, especially Syrians, in the European Union.
