Less than a week after terrorists attacked French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo’s offices killing 12 people, the surviving staffers have released the cover of the next issue. And it will likely anger terrorist organizations, which have praised the attack on the paper for publishing images mocking the Prophet Muhammad.
The newly released cover features a cartoon of Muhammad shedding a tear and holding a sign saying “Je Suis Charlie” or “I am Charlie” — the global rallying cry that followed the attack. Above his head it says “Tout Est Pardonné” or “all is forgiven.”
According to French media reports, the paper is publishing three million copies of Wednesday’s edition in 16 languages. Normally about 50,000 copies are released.
The cover of Wednesday’s issue featuring the Muhammad depiction was posted online Monday. The paper’s lawyer Richard Malka told France Info radio it’s meant to show that the remaining staff will not be deterred by extremists. “We will not give in. The spirit of ‘I am Charlie’ means the right to blaspheme,” Malka said.
As the paper prepares its latest edition, France’s defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced Monday that 10,000 troops are being deployed to guard “sensitive sites,” including synagogues, train stations, airports and tourist attractions. Some mosques will also receive government protection.
The increased security comes after brothers Said Kouachi, 34, and Cherif Kouachi, 32, attacked Charlie Hebdo’s offices on Wednesday.
A day later, a terrorist associated with the attackers killed a female police officer in Montrouge — a southern suburb in Paris. And on Friday, two separate hostage standoffs unfolded. Four people were killed at a kosher grocery store when Amedy Coulibaly opened fire in the market. A hostage being held by the Kouachi brothers survived. All of the gunmen were killed by authorities. However, Hayat Boumeddiene, Coulibaly’s girlfriend, remains on the run and is said to now be in Syria after traveling through Turkey.
Below is Charlie Hebdo’s Wednesday cover.
