Appearing on the Charlie Rose program Monday, two Charlie Hebdo cartoonists said there are no parallels to be drawn between the Muhammad cartoon contest held by a controversial group in Texas on Sunday and the French satirical magazine.
“To be honest, I can imagine the kind of comparison you can make between the Charlie Hebdo attack of January 7 and this event, but there is nothing to do [with one another],” Jean-Baptiste Thoret said. “Absolutely no comparison.”
Thoret said the group that staged the event — the American Freedom Defense Initiative — is an anti-Islamic group, whereas Charlie Hebdo criticizes all religions, not limiting its scope to the Muslim people.
The event was besieged by two gunmen, who were killed by police. ISIS has since taken credit for the attack.
Thoret’s colleague, Gerard Biard, added: “We don’t organize contests, we just do our work.”
Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters were attacked in January by members of ISIS in response to illustrations in the magazine that spoofed the Prophet Muhammad. Twelve people were killed in the attack.
Media coverage afterward ignited a separate discussion on censorship, as many news organizations opted against displaying Charlie Hebdo’s cartoon’s on-air or in their publications.