France is set to mark Tuesday 10 years since an Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper that shocked the country and led to fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion. President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo are set to lead commemorations at the site of the weekly's former offices, which were stormed by two masked Qaeda-linked gunmen with AK-47 assault rifles.
Remembering the Tragedy
Macron and Hidalgo will also remember Ahmed Merabet, a Muslim police officer guarding the offices who was executed at point-blank range as he begged for his life in one of the most shocking images recorded of the tragedy. Twelve people died in the attacks, including eight editorial staff, while a separate but linked hostage-taking at a Jewish supermarket in eastern Paris by a third gunman on January 9, 2015, claimed another four lives.
Charlie Hebdo's Response
Charlie Hebdo has published a special edition to mark the 10-year anniversary that features a front-page cartoon with the caption "Indestructible!" In a typically provocative move, the militantly atheist publication also organized a God-themed cartoon contest that invited submissions of the "funniest and meanest" caricatures of religious figures.
"Satire has a virtue that has enabled us to get through these tragic years: optimism," said an editorial by its director Laurent Sourisseau, known as "Riss", who survived the 2015 massacre. "If you want to laugh, it means you want to live."
Press Freedom and Controversy
The attack on the newspaper by two Paris-born brothers of Algerian descent was said to be revenge for its decision to publish caricatures lampooning the Prophet Mohammed, Islam's most revered figure. The 10-year anniversary of the killings has led to fresh introspection in France about the nature of press freedom and the ability of publications such as Charlie Hebdo to blaspheme and ridicule religious figures, particularly Islamic ones.
Public Support for Freedom of Expression
A survey carried out by polling group Ifop and published in this week's Charlie Hebdo indicated widespread public support among French people for the freedom of expression to override concern for religious sensibilities. A total of 76 percent of respondents believed freedom of expression and the freedom to caricature were fundamental rights, and 62 percent thought people had the right to mock religious beliefs.
France, Charlie Hebdo, Attack, Anniversary, Satire, Freedom of Expression, Press Freedom
