Three Years Since the Attack, Charlie Hebdo is Very Much Alive

“One year later, the assassin is still on the run,” reads the text above the cartoon on the front page of Magazine.

(French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo was attacked by terrorists on 7 January 2015, leading to the death of 12 people. This article from The Quint’s archives takes a look at the aftermath of the attack, one year after it happened.)

In a special edition, marking the one year anniversary for the January 7 attack, Charlie Hebdo’s artists and writers declared that the satirical newspaper is alive than ever.

The 32-page copy marking the anniversary of attack on the paper’s staff accuses organised religion, an irresolute government and intelligence failures for the 2015 violence in France by Muslim extremists that started with that day.

“One year later, the assassin is still on the run,” reads the text above the cartoon on the front page, drawn by the magazine’s director, Laurent Sourisseau.

Sourisseau writes in a lengthy editorial saying that many people – religious groups, extremists, other journalists, “fools and cowards” – wanted Charlie Hebdo’s staff dead over the years for “daring to laugh at religion”.

Many hoped that one day someone would come and put us in our places. Yes, many hoped that we would be killed.

Laurent Sourisseau, Director, Charlie Hebdo

In connection to the special edition, Reuters reported on Wednesday that, the Vatican daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano accused Charlie Hebdo for trying to “manipulate” faith.

You can’t provoke, you can’t insult the faith of others, you can’t make fun of faith.

Pope Francis

Sourisseau, in his article, described the newsroom’s silence moments after two gunmen opened fire, saying that was how he knew his colleagues were dead. However, the event also brought some sort of “luck”. A month before the shootings, Charlie Hebdo was close to shutting down as sales had dipped below 30,000. Its brand of provocative, no-holds-barred humour appeared to have gone out of fashion.

But the attack sparked horror across the world, says The Guardian. Donations poured in for the victims, 7.5 million people bought the first post-attack issue and 200,000 people signed up for a subscription.

The report said that on 10 January, a more public ceremony will take place on the Place de la Republique, the square in eastern Paris which became an informal memorial. President Francois Hollande will preside over the ceremony, during which a 10-metre-high commemorative oak tree will be planted.