Charlie Hebdo: Not the first attack
The terror-attack on the Charlie Hebdo staff forms one of many.
The Paris-based offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were attacked by armed gunmen on January 7.
The magazine was founded in 1970 and has maintained a reputation of being controversial and often mocking religions and other sensitive topics.
It is believed the attack occurred in reaction to the publication’s long history making fun of religions, particularly Islam.
However, this is not the first time the staff at Charlie Hebdo fell victim to such an attack.
In 2006 the magazine reprinted an image of Muhammad that first appeared in a Danish publication, angering many people belonging to the Muslim religion.
Five years later their offices were fire-bombed in November 2011 after they once again published a cartoon of Muhammad.
Among their many controversial cartoons are images such as Pope Benedict kissing a Vatican Swiss guard, an Orthodox Jew pushing a Muslim in a wheelchair with the caption “You mustn’t make fun!” as well as a Muslim man kissing a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist.
Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier had received numerous death threats leading up to the most recent attack and was living under police protection.
He remained uncompromising in his defiance of Islamists.
French president François Hollande commented on freedom of speech in media by saying “Freedom will always be bigger than barbarism. Let us join together and we will win.”
