Wednesday, January 7th, 2015
It is sadly unclear whether this article will put lives at risk
The Onion, one of America’s best known satirical publications, responded to the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France with a sobering article that concludes, “At press time, although the consequences of this article are reportedly still unclear and actual human lives may hang in the balance, sources confirmed that the best thing to do—really the only thing to do—is to simply put it out there and just hope that it does some good.”
Wednesday, January 7th, 2015
Satire must always accompany any free society. It is an absolute necessity. Even in the most repressive medieval kingdoms, they understood the need for the court jester, the one soul allowed to tell the truth through laughter. It is, in many ways, the most powerful form of free speech because it is aimed at those in power, or those whose ideas would spread hate.
— Joe Randazzo, the former editor of well known American satirical publication The Onion, writing for MSNBC (Freedom of speech cannot be killed).
Wednesday, January 7th, 2015
We stand absolutely united with the French people against terrorism and against this threat to our values – free speech, the rule of law, democracy. It’s absolutely essential we defend those values today and every day.
— United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, responding to the attack on Charlie Hebdo in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Wednesday, January 7th, 2015
A man in Strasbourg, France shows solidarity with the staff of Charlie Hebdo, who were targeted by Islamic terrorists in a brutal attack in Paris earlier today. “Je suis” is French for “I am”. (Photo: Claude Truong-Ngoc / Wikimedia Commons)
