Thousands of people attended a moving event to show solidarity with the victims of a stabbing attack in a children’s playground.

The attack, which happened on Thursday morning in the French town of Annecy, saw four children – including a three-year-old British girl – and two adults injured.

Toys, flowers, balloons and messages of support have been piled up at the playground in the days since the attack.

The event, organised by Annecy mayor Francois Astorg, also paid tribute to the bystander who tried to stop the attacker by hitting him with his rucksack.

Dubbed a ‘citizens’ gathering’, the event drew huge crowds and even more touching tributes were left at the park.

Moving pictures show the scale of the event, which saw crowds singing songs together.

Parents told of their desire to ‘reclaim’ the park and ‘stand in solidarity’ with the families of those hurt in the attack.

Mr Astorg told the crowd the attack was ‘a tragedy touching our city, the country and the whole world’.

The event drew huge crowds (Picture: Thomas Pierre/ABACA/Shutterstock)

Children and adults alike lay flowers, toys and balloons in tribute (Picture: MOURAD ALLILI/SIPA/Shutterstock)

The town’s mayor spoke passionately (Picture: Perriaud Aurelien/Studio Le Carre/ABACA/Shutterstock)

He added: ‘Our only choice is to respond with unity and hope… to choose the future rather than destruction, to gather is to build rather than hate.’

The suspect, a refugee from Syria with Swedish residency, has been handed preliminary charges of attempted murder and armed resistance.

He’s in detention and has reportedly refused to speak to investigators.

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‘Our only choice is to respond with unity and hope… to choose the future rather than destruction, to gather is to build rather than hate.’