I'd Rather Die On My Feet Than Live On My Knees
It feels difficult to write about anything other than the tragic events that took place in Paris yesterday, where Muslim extremists stormed the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and murdered 12 people.
I am unfamiliar with the work of Charlie Hebdo but I have attempted to familiarise myself over the past few hours. The cartoons I have viewed are puerile and childish in the best possible way and the magazine has had a long history of flaunting the Islamic prohibition of images of the prophet Muhammad. They appear to be equal opportunity offenders with regards to religion with front pages mocking Judaism and Catholicism.
My only real point of comparison is with the crude, vulgar, brilliant South Park. They originally attempted to satirise the issue in "Cartoon Wars". A typically malevolent Cartman attempts to get Family Guy off the air under the guise of protecting the American public from seeing Muhammad. The two part episode prompted a real life censorship controversy when Comedy Central refused to broadcast an image of the prophet.
Another two parter ("200" and "201") featured Muhammad and was heavily edited. The episodes have never been repeated. 71% of the public disagreed with the decision and the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were hugely critical of Comedy Central's actions. It felt like a bitterly disappointing climb down in the face of extremist threats.
But those threats seemed hypothetical. Yesterday we witnessed people losing their lives for the right to free speech. I write today to express that same right and have been gladdened by the sight of artists and cartoonists all over the world responding to this tragedy. The pen remains mightier than the sword. I imagine Parisians may well be feeling how I felt on 7th July 2005, the first time terrorism came to my doorstep in my lifetime. Saddened but uncowed. In adversity, we found strength. I'm confident France shall do the same in the face of this cowardly act.
Je Suis Charlie.
I am unfamiliar with the work of Charlie Hebdo but I have attempted to familiarise myself over the past few hours. The cartoons I have viewed are puerile and childish in the best possible way and the magazine has had a long history of flaunting the Islamic prohibition of images of the prophet Muhammad. They appear to be equal opportunity offenders with regards to religion with front pages mocking Judaism and Catholicism.
My only real point of comparison is with the crude, vulgar, brilliant South Park. They originally attempted to satirise the issue in "Cartoon Wars". A typically malevolent Cartman attempts to get Family Guy off the air under the guise of protecting the American public from seeing Muhammad. The two part episode prompted a real life censorship controversy when Comedy Central refused to broadcast an image of the prophet.
Another two parter ("200" and "201") featured Muhammad and was heavily edited. The episodes have never been repeated. 71% of the public disagreed with the decision and the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were hugely critical of Comedy Central's actions. It felt like a bitterly disappointing climb down in the face of extremist threats.
But those threats seemed hypothetical. Yesterday we witnessed people losing their lives for the right to free speech. I write today to express that same right and have been gladdened by the sight of artists and cartoonists all over the world responding to this tragedy. The pen remains mightier than the sword. I imagine Parisians may well be feeling how I felt on 7th July 2005, the first time terrorism came to my doorstep in my lifetime. Saddened but uncowed. In adversity, we found strength. I'm confident France shall do the same in the face of this cowardly act.
Je Suis Charlie.
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