French magazine reprints anti-Islamic cartoons on eve of terror trial
The French magazine Charlie Hebdo has republished offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the eve of the trial of suspects in a deadly attack on the paper’s office five years ago.
In January 2015, two terrorists attacked the magazine’s offices in Paris, killing 12 of its staff. The attack, condemned by Muslims across the world, was allegedly a response to the magazine’s offensive cartoon of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH).
In an editorial accompanying the republished cartoons on Tuesday, the paper said, “Reproducing these caricatures this week of the opening of the January 2015 terrorist attacks seemed essential to us. All the reasons that could be opposed to us relate only to political or journalistic cowardice.”
The French weekly has repeatedly provoked Muslim anger by publishing offensive cartoons of their Prophet.
The ones reprinted this week were originally published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2005, and then republished by Charlie Hebdo in 2006.
The terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo back in January 2015 were French-born brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, who claimed the attacks in the name of al-Qaeda.
Two days later, a jailhouse acquaintance of theirs, Amedy Coulibaly, stormed a kosher supermarket, killing four hostages. He also killed a young female police officer.
The three terrorists were later killed by police.
Fourteen people accused of complicity were expected to go on trial on Wednesday. They included the wife of one of the attackers — being tried in absentia — as well as a network of men who allegedly supplied guns, ammunition, transportation, and bulletproof vests to the two brothers who stormed the magazine’s office.
The trial will be filmed for posterity, a rarity in France reserved for proceedings of historical importance.
Macron refuses to condemn cartoons
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday it was not his place to pass judgment on the decision by the magazine to republish the cartoons.
“It is never the place of a president of the republic to pass judgment on the editorial choice of a journalist or newsroom, never. Because we have freedom of the press,” Macron said.
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