‘Charlie is not dead’

Ryan Songalia

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‘Charlie is not dead’
In Paris, the demonstrations are pro-freedom and anti-violence, but not anti-Muslim

PARIS, France ­– The sun rose over Paris on Thursday morning, January 8, to a climate of uncertainty and sorrow.

The French government had declared it a day of mourning following the attacks at the office of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo which left a dozen people dead in what is being called retaliation for cartoons that criticized Islam.

The skies seemed to get the memo as well as the rain it had hinted for days finally came in an outpouring that correlates with the feeling of many Parisians. It was a new day for a country that enjoys some of the most liberal freedom in the world.

That freedom was challenged when two masked gunmen barged into an editorial meeting on Wednesday, killing 10 newspaper staffers – including editor in chief Stephane Charbonnier – as well as two police officers. 

The two suspects – believed to be brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi – are being sought in a manhunt that has now extended out of the city limits to the countryside to the north.

The concern that violence may not yet be over was not enough to suppress the thousands who converged upon Place de la Republique in Paris, chanting in French “We are Charlie” and “Charlie is not dead” in defiance – and defense – of their right to free expression won during the French Revolution.

Pro-freedom, anti-violence

A nude woman led battle cries for a time as dozens of French scaled the large monument in the park’s center, holding signs and working up a fervor that galvanized the assembled masses. The demonstrations were pro-freedom and anti-violence. And despite prominent displays of the 2011 Charlie Hebdo cartoons featuring Muhammad with the title “Charia Hebdo” that initially sparked outrage, the protests were not anti-Muslim.

The attack – unlike those that had struck European cities Madrid and London in the years since 9/11 – were targeted and specific. And so too were the demonstrations against it.

“I’m sad because I was here for September 11 and I feel like I’m back here for the same subject of terrorism,” said Leticia, a woman who lives down the street from the gathering place on a second day of support displays for the fallen journalists. “I’m sad because it’s not good for free expression and it’s not good because we are a free people.”

What Leticia – like many others – feels but may be uncomfortable speaking up about, is concern about the implications of tensions with Europe’s growing Muslim population. “I’m afraid about a new war with Muslims and I don’t need a new war in the world. I think it’s the beginning of something, I don’t know what.”

Others, like Taoufik Ben-Rondhane, who held a French sign that reads “Allah told me your crime is horrible,” came to offer assurances that those who committed these crimes were not acting in the interest of religion. 

“Some feel Islam is dangerous because of the killers and others understand that what happened has nothing with Islam,” said Ben-Rondhane, who was born a Muslim but says he no longer actively practices. “Islam is a religion of only peace, and those people are the enemies of Islam.”

One university student who asked not to be named, said the issue of terror is something all of Europe has been well acquainted with. The student felt confident that the way of life Parisians have proudly engaged in will continue unthreatened and unaltered.

“You have your answer there,” said the man, as “Charlie is not dead” chants revived near sunset.

NO TO CENSORSHIP. A marked statue in Place de la République in Paris indicates protest against censorship. Photo by Ryan Songalia

Sirens may have interrupted the general serenity of the city and police presence has increased around the metropolis, yet “The City of Lights” remains illuminated. Skaters still dance along the ice adjacent to City Hall, the cafés and bars along Avenue des Champs-Élysées still pour glasses of Kronenbourg 1664 beer by the gallon, and the Louvre and d’Orsay museums are still flooded by those seeking a glimpse of the masterpieces of Van Gogh and Da Vinci.

And while many news outlets around the world are reticent to display the cartoons in their reports, newsstands around Paris have fearlessly posted “#JesuisCharlie” signs and displayed copies of Charlie Hebdo for motorists and pedestrians to see.

“We are afraid, but we are free,” said Leticia. “Everybody is here to tell that you can kill a person but you won’t kill the liberty and the freedom.” – Rappler.com

 

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