IN the midst of the continuing heartbreak and horror, we said at the beginning of the week that there was optimism to be found in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.

The murders by religious fanatics of 129 people, enjoying an evening out in the centre of Paris, have resulted in worldwide anger and lingering fear.

But those deaths have also brought a renewed sense of international togetherness – a global determination to ensure that terrorism doesn’t win.

It has been seen in the way far-flung corners of the world have found ways to display their solidarity with the people of Paris – lighting up their landmarks in the blue, white and red of the French flag.

And, tonight, it was shown at Wembley when the footballers of England and France played out their friendly match in front of 90,000 people, who joined together to sing the French national anthem despite the fact that the Germany versus Holland match had been cancelled due to a bomb threat an hour earlier.

The Wembley result did not matter. What mattered was that the match went ahead and that it brought countries, and their people, together in the spirit of friendship – not war.

It is naive to think that the terrorists will be bothered whether England’s match against France went ahead or not. These are brain-washed killers who do not care about such things.

But we should care because it puts terrorism into perspective. We must never underestimate the threat from the likes of the Islamic State but we should also remember that it represents a tiny minority.

The vast majority of people on this planet care about others. The tens of thousands of England fans who headed for Wembley tonight, and sang their hearts out in support of the devastated nation of France, proved it.