Liam Bruce is a third year journalism student at Glasgow Caledonian University, and he called a Glasgow vigil as a tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks and their families.

Liam shares the story, in his own words...

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. These are the words of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

On Friday night, Paris, France, and the world, was swamped in darkness. From then on we battled, and we will continue to battle, to bring back the light.

I have friends living in Paris; they are mercifully safe but, in the three hours or so that it took to contact them on Friday evening, I was distraught. I could do nothing. I could say nothing to comfort them. I thought the very least I could do was try to get some people together in Glasgow to show Paris and the world that we care.

And if you ever question whether or not Glasgow has a heart, then I have to tell you, Glasgow’s heart is alive and beating and can never be put down. Over 500 people turned out in the dreich weather on Saturday night to stand in silence and share their emotions.

I organised the vigil to show Paris that we care and to show ourselves that we will not be afraid, to show the terrorists that they can’t win, that they will never win. How do I know they’ll never win? 

I know. Trust me, when you stand in the centre of Glasgow, atop the busiest shopping street in the country and hear a pin drop you know the city is caring.

The people really came together, we had laminated posters, hundreds of candles that burned till the wee hours and flags, we had the French Tricolour draped over the steps and flying in the rain.

We came together not in protest, not in demonstration, not in anger but in love. We were showing love for the dead, love for the Parisian’s and love for each other.

Glasgow shares the French ideals of liberté, égalité and fraternité and so we stood together in solidarité with one message: we shall over come.

Emotional choruses of La Marseillaise and a lone bugler giving The Last Post only interrupted the silence with chants of Vive La France enough to move any man to tears.

It is not the first time the question of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” has been asked of French citizens, but on Saturday evening, on Buchanan Street the people sang, the city heard and the city shall remember. Vive La France! #JeSuisUnParisienne #GlasgowCares