Please spare a moment at 11am UK time today, 8th January (1200 CET) for the victims of the appalling attack in Paris yesterday where 12 people were brutally and barbarically butchered for exercising their right to a free press or for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
1 million copies of Charlie Hebdo will be printed for circulation next Wednesday.
I hope they will be available in the UK and that you will show some solidarity by buying a copy.
I'll be getting my copy here in France whilst remembering those fine people who were butchered in cold blood a week earlier.
After the show of solidarity in towns and villages all over France today making a stand against terror (over 2.5 million in Paris alone), let's hope that those less well informed about the beautiful French people will now eat their words.
To hear the Marseillaise being sung spontaneously not only in our small local commune by a vast crowd, but up and down the land as a mark of defiance against those who wish ill of the French gives my goosebumps goosebumps.
This outpouring of strength and unity and the show of strength of the mighty French state makes me proud to be a resident here and less fearful for my safety than I ever did in the UK and on those increasingly rare occasions I venture back.
Vive la France!, Vive la Republique!
In a word (or two) herts, from the celebrated philosopher François-Marie Arouet aka Voltaire, your post can be summarised by saying "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
I couldn't agree more.
I'm sure there are many who will show their solidarity in different ways but hopefully few who will do so like Obama wearing slippers watching football on the telly whist other world leaders - even those who are sworn enemies like the leaders of Israel and Palestine - gathered in Paris in support of peace.
Isn't it poignant that when the WTC towers were hit, one of the first world leaders to visit the States in person in the aftermath to stand with America against the outrage was Jaques Chirac, then President of France. What a shame that the Commander-in-chief nor his deputy could be arsed to make an effort to stand with France on this occasion. Sums up their arrogance really.
Perhaps Charlie Hebdo might reflect on that with a caricature cartoon of Obama in his tartan slippers, glass in hand, cheering on the game...
There were 90 A list 'dignitaries' and enough security to cover 900 of them Toots so, whilst I hear what you say, I can't agree,
Benjamin Netanjahu is a big enough target on his own for a terrorist attack; that he made the trip shows the strength of his conviction.
The yanks are just running scared and prefer to watch football. That said, why couldn’t the Vice President or the Secretary of State make it? The SoS was already in Paris after all and both the President and VP had free diaries. Instead, they sent a disposable 'B' lister who no-one has ever heard of! There are a significant number of American ex-pats in France. They must be gutted and totally ashamed of being American.
Why did Obama get the Nobel peace prize? Many questioned it at the time and now I can see why.
Perhaps it's more of a storm in a dc teacup re the relationship between France/USA
A little digging and it seems others also think it was simply a photo opportunity
and on a slightly different tangent, the likes of Charlie Hebbo would not exist in the state of Netanyahu's Israel
We're just being fed what they think we want to hear and to an extent see.
Well, that's politicians for you Toots.
How many can still say "I agree with Nick"?
There is no doubt though that the response by the ordinary Français throughout is extra-ordinary and at the very root of everything that represents the very best of the ideals the Republic holds so dear.
Went to get my copy of Charlie Hebdo this morning, only to find out that they had sold out quickly, as it did in the rest of France apparently. Returning home, I listen to the news to find that copies are selling on ebay for over £500, now I don't think this is right, nor what it is all about, and hope the profits that any of these arseholes make will be given to Charlie, got my doubts though, profiteering bastards.
deepest condolences for the murdered in paris last week and deepest sympathy to all their relatives and friends.
this magazine is not a purveyor of free speech so much as and insult to whoever it chooses.
but not israel or judaism.
bibi netanyahu being at the front of a photo shoot, not the demonstration, is an insult to humanity.
the leader of a country that not only denies the majority of people living in it freedom, but bombs them regularily.
when observing such an event as happened in paris last week, i ask myself a particular question. "in who's interests does it serve ?" que bono
certainly not the palestinians. certainly not the overwhelmingly peace loving muslims of the world.
so, one was found to have appeared in a documentary by france 24 in 2005, met nickolas sarkosy in 2009. ????
they were under french intelligence surveillance for years.
the female got away to syria via turkey to join/rejoin isis ?
as i say, deepest sincere condolences to those who lost their lives and the police commander in limoges who committed suicide on the evening of the second day of his investigations into the matter.
since when, after 10 years of bombing and occupations of iraq, afghanistan, libya, syria, yemen and pakistan, did any of those leaders assembled in paris give a fuck about anyone else dying ?
this is being used as a prelude to more war and the aircraft carrier "charles de gaulle" has just been dispatched to the middle east.
when the conjurer(media and politicians) draws your attention to something, look to the side
Actually gullsonroad, perhaps you would like to take this opportunity to condemn the murderers and those who assisted them?
You don't have to, just a thought. After all you are free to do and say as you please.
not long now max. glad to see you back chasing me
Now I don't always agree....no let me correct that..lol...I rarely agree with what Gulson has to say. But I will always defend his right to say it. I have never seen him be offensive to others, or openly ridicule others views.
And here was me thinking this was a thread about defending The Freedom Of Speech !!!
Carry posting Gulson...rubbish or not, it at the least makes us think !!
I wonder how many of the people who bought the magazine this week did so in the hope of selling it for profit one day?