Je suis Charlie.
The slogan, made popular in the wake of the January 7 attack on France’s Charlie Hebdo newspaper, has become a rallying cry for those who support the freedoms of speech and expression. The attack on the satirical newspaper’s offices – orchestrated in retaliation for the paper’s publication of unflattering cartoon images of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed – left 12 of Charlie Hebdo’s staff and supporters dead, 11 wounded, and sparked an ultimately fatal manhunt for the radical Islamist perpetrators.
Rather than being cowed into silence by the attack, Charlie Hebdo doubled down. In the weekly edition following the attack, they published a “Survivor’s Issue” that featured a cartoon of Mohammed holding a sign with the slogan “Je suis Charlie” prominently displayed on the cover, along with the headline “Tout est Pardonne,” which translates to “All is Forgiven.”
So great was the demand for the Survivor’s issue that Charlie Hebdo increased the publication run from their usual 60,000 copies to an incredible 7 million copies. Even more spectacular, though, is that the enormous run sold out just minutes after its release. According to some sources, lines at French newsstands resembled those outside of major retailers during American Black Friday sales events.
Unfortunately, the provocative cover did spark violent protests in several countries, and even lead to additional deaths. Some news outlets, largely determined by their geographical readership, chose not to republish the image for fear of retaliation. But the vast majority of the public and press chose to support the message that the world at large will not be silenced by a violent, strident minority.
American Recycler stands in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo and those around the world that advocate for the right to speak and publish ideas freely. We denounce the use of violence as a means to silence individuals and entities who espouse ideas with which some disagree.
Je suis Charlie. American Recycler is Charlie, and we support the freedoms of speech, expression and press for everyone – not just for those with whom we happen to agree.
Until next month,
Esther Fournier
Publisher & Editor
American Recycler News
Published in the February 2015 Edition of American Recycler News