Je Suis Charlie

By Laura Bohnert
To date, there have been two terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper in Paris. The latest of these attacks, which occurred on January 7, 2015 at around 11:30 a.m., resulted in the deaths of 12 people, and it has been spurring rallies ever since.
On January 7, two masked gunmen, both armed with assault rifles and other weapons, forced their way into the offices of Charlie Hebdo, where they fired close to 50 shots (while shouting “Allahu Akbar” or “God is greatest”) killing 11 people. A French National Police officer was shot and killed in the street shortly after; 11 others were wounded and five more were killed in the shootings that followed in the aftermath of the attack.
The shootings occurred in response to the numerous controversial Muhammad cartoons the magazine published along with its other non-conformist, anti-racist, anti-religious, and left-wing publications. However, the violence and loss of staff has only fueled the magazine’s response. The next issue, Issue No. 1178, was printed on time featuring a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad weeping and holding a “Je Suis Charlie” sign on the cover. The issue sold seven million copies in six different languages.
France quickly raised its terror alert and deployed soldiers. After a two-day manhunt, the suspects were located and were gunned down by police while attempting to take hostages.
On January 11, 3.7 million people joined demonstrations across France while two million people and more than 40 world leaders joined the rally for national unity in Paris.
And the rallies have continued across the globe ever since.
Demonstrators began to gather in Place de la République in Paris as well as in Toulouse, Nice, Lyon, Marseille, and Rennes, along with many cities outside of France including Amsterdam, Brussels, Barcelona, Ljubljana, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Washington DC, San Francisco, Argentina, Buenos Aires, and even spreading into Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto.
Calgary’s demonstration in particular held a strong anti-terrorism sentiment, and each demonstration has accessorized itself with the sign “Je Suis Charlie,” a slogan designed to express the solidarity of individuals with Charlie Hebdo. The United States Embassy in Paris changed its Twitter profile picture to the “Je Suis Charlie” placard, and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre was quoted saying, “Today we are all French! We have a duty to protect our freedom of expression. We have the right to say what we have to say.”
Despite the promising outcry against violence, however, as usual, violence breeds the response of further violence.
Protests against the magazine have been seen in Pakistan as well as most recently in Niamey, Niger’s capital. Many churches and French interests have been set on fire including the French cultural center in Zinder. In Somalia, in response to “Je Suis Charlie,” protesters hold placards that read “Je Suis Muslim et J’aime mon Prophet” (I am Muslim and I love my Prophet).