Ten years after the terrorist attack targeting the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper says it is “indestructible” on the front page of its special issue, with a strong drawing, to be published this Tuesday, January 7.
“Satire has a virtue that has helped us get through these tragic years: optimism,” underlines Riss, the publishing director of Charlie Hebdo in the editorial of the historic issue, available on newsstands this Tuesday, January 7, ten years day to the day after the attack by the Kouachi brothers, French people of Algerian origin who had pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda.
Twelve people, including eight members of the editorial staff, lost their lives during the attack which took place in the premises of the weekly, then located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Among the dead were the cartoonist Charb, as well as two legends of caricature in France, Cabu and Wolinski.
In this historic Charlie, consulted exclusively by Agence France-Presse, this Monday January 6, the satirical newspaper says it is “incredible!”. The front page shows a reader happily devouring this new issue, sitting on an assault rifle. Composed of 32 pages, four of which are dedicated to caricatures of God sent by cartoonists from all over the world, the journal looks back on the last ten years marked by a “geopolitical situation” which has “worsened” according to Riss.
“Today, the values of Charlie Hebdo, such as humor, satire, freedom of expression, ecology, secularism, feminism to name but a few, have never been so challenged. cause”, he asserts, referring to a democracy “threatened by renewed obscurantist forces”. Despite everything, this issue is an opportunity for Charlie Hebdo’s publishing director to be optimistic about the future: “If we want to laugh, it’s because we want to live “Laughter, irony, caricature are manifestations of optimism, whatever happens, whether dramatic or happy, the desire to laugh will never disappear,” he concludes.
It is therefore no coincidence that the results of an Ifop survey for the Jean-Jaurès foundation accompany the cover. Produced in June 2024, it indicates that 76% of French people believe that “freedom of expression is a fundamental right, (and that) freedom of caricature is one of it”. According to editor-in-chief Gérard Biard, interviewed by West Francethe results of this study show “that the French population, which is believed to be less tolerant of this freedom, is largely and increasingly so”.
For good reason, Charlie had been the target of jihadist threats since the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in 2006. In response, the newspaper relaunched an international competition at the end of 2024 on the theme #LaughingatGod for which it received around 350 drawings. In this special issue, printed in 300,000 copies and on sale for two weeks at the price of 5 euros, he publishes “the most effective and accomplished”.