Existing comment:
Jean Cabut
Elsa Cayat
Stéphane Charbonnier
Philippe Honoré
Bernard Maris
Mustapha Ourrad
Bernard Verlhac
Georges Wolinski
Charlie Hebdo
In France
The French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo has long courted controversy with its provocative cartoons lampooning religion and politics. When Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2011, the newspaper's office in Paris was firebombed. For most Muslims, visual depictions of the prophet are forbidden. Charlie Hebdo's editor, cartoonist Stéphane Charbonnier, was placed on an al-Qaida death list but continued his work, saying, "I'd rather die standing than live on my knees." As the staff gathered for a weekly editorial meeting on Jan. 7, 2015, two masked gunmen stormed the building. They called out Charbonnier's name and opened fire, killing him, four other cartoonists, two columnists and a copy editor. Four others were killed in the massacre, including Charbonnier's bodyguard. The gunmen, linked to al-Qaida terrorists, were killed in a shootout with police. Around the world, thousands gathered to show their solidarity with the journalists, brandishing pens and placards reading "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie"). Charbonnier, known by the pen name "Charb," was 47. One of his last cartoons eerily hinted at terrorist attacks in France. |