Thousands filled the Republique plaza in central Paris in support of the migrants, waving flags in solidarity, ABC News reported.

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 in Republique — the same plaza 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 the photo of the dead Syrian boy on a Turkish beach.

One man held up a sign saying: "We are all descendants of immigrants."
Source: MENA