Charlie Hebdo’s Unwavering Spirit
A decade has passed since the tragic events that shook the world, and Charlie Hebdo continues to embody the spirit of resilience and optimism. The satirical weekly’s current director, Riss, captures this essence in a special issue, featuring a cartoon of a reader sitting on a rifle assault, smiling and reading the magazine. Riss emphasizes that satire has a unique virtue that has helped the magazine navigate these difficult years: optimism. “If you want to laugh, it is because you want to live. No matter what happens, the desire to laugh will never disappear.”
A Decade of Reflection
As France commemorates the anniversary of the attack, President Emmanuel Macron and Mayor Anne Hidalgo will attend the ceremonies at the old headquarters of the weekly. The fight against terrorism remains a pressing concern, with the French president urging continued vigilance. The survivors’ accounts of the attack still send chills down the spine. Journalist Laurent Leger recounts the harrowing experience: “Suddenly we heard the noise of several firecrackers without knowing exactly what it was. Then the door was opened to the shout of ‘Allah is great’. I remember that a hooded guy appeared, dressed in black and armed, he held the weapon between his two hands, an assault rifle or a Kalashnikov, and he smelled of gunpowder.”
Freedom of Expression and Secularism
A survey conducted by Charlie Hebdo reveals that 76 percent of French people consider freedom of expression a fundamental right, and 62 percent believe in the right to provocatively criticize a religious belief, symbol, or dogma. However, the same percentage also acknowledges that not everything can be laughed at. The magazine publishes forty cartoons from 28 countries, showcasing the “unbreakable” spirit of their creators. The attack has also sparked debates on secularism, which has become a contentious issue in French politics. Christophe Bertosi, a leading researcher on Islam and secularism, notes that the 2015 attacks have made secularism a primary issue in the response to terrorism.
A Wave of Attacks
The Charlie Hebdo attack was only the beginning of a wave of jihadist terrorism that has plagued France. The Bataclan venue and bars and restaurants in Paris were attacked in November 2015, resulting in 130 deaths. In 2016, attacks occurred almost every month. The tributes in France will also honor the victims of an attack against a Jewish supermarket in Paris, as well as a police officer killed by the perpetrators of the attack.