Ten years after the Charlie Hebdo attack, satire is under siege
Public support is waning for the right to offend
On the morning of January 7th 2015 two men, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper. Armed with Kalashnikovs, the pair murdered 12 people, including eight editorial staff, in less than two minutes. The perpetrators, who were linked to al-Qaeda, did not pick Charlie Hebdo by chance. For years the irreverent newspaper had poked fun at religion, including Islam. It was the start of the worst-ever year of Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed nearly 150 people.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Je suis Charlie. Toujours?”
Culture January 11th 2025
- Sex and Snow White: how Grimm should children’s books be?
- Millennials and Gen Z are falling hard for stuffed animals
- Jimmy Lai’s trial is a headline-worthy example of injustice
- Are mystics kooks or valuable disrupters?
- Ten years after the Charlie Hebdo attack, satire is under siege
- Ovation inflation has spread from Broadway to London’s West End
More from Culture
Want to spend time with a different American president?
Five presidential biographies to distract you from the news
Los Angeles has lost some of its trailblazing architecture
How will it rebuild?
What firms are for
The framework for thinking about business and capitalism is hopelessly outdated, argues a new book
Greg Gutfeld, America’s most popular late-night host, rules the airwaves
The left gave him his perch
Astrology is booming, thanks to technology and younger enthusiasts
Gen Z is full of stargazing users
Why matcha, made from green tea, is the drink of the moment
Is it really a healthy alternative to coffee? Not the way Gen Z orders it