"Against crayons, pencils and captions, they fought with kalashnikovs. What weakness!"-- Liberation newspaper, Jan. 7, 2015
Today, I'm sad as a journalist, writer and human being. Yesterday, 12 innocent people at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were shot dead in a terrorist attack not far from my apartment.
As they left the crime scene, the perpetrators (who are still on the run) proclaimed: "We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad"
This hit close to home in both a physical and figurative sense. And both are frightening.
As a journalist and a fiction writer, I'm used to expressing my opinion. The idea that fellow journalists have been killed here in France, a country of freedom of expression and freedom of the press, is horrifying.
Please click here to read my story on Medium.com about this tragic event.
I worry more that the reaction to this dreadful event may be more violence on all sides. When Norway was suffering similar violence, their peacefu reaction did much to de-fuse a difficult situation. Have you read this excellent article in today's Guardian in the UK? http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/08/charlie-hebdo-norway-islamophobia-france-anders-breivik?CMP=fb_gu
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a sad and frightening time in the world today. I hope the right decisions will be made and that there won't be more loss of life.
DeleteSo glad you wrote about it! We have to show them that they can't suppress free speech just because it rubs them the wrong way!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, freedom of speech is such an important part of our lives!
DeleteThis is such a sad event, I think it resonates with most everyone around the world. I know here in Amsterdam there was a big demonstration Thursday night. I hope all of this craziness ends soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by... Yes, we're hoping governments will take the right steps to assure everyone's safety!
DeleteThank you for writing such a personal and passionate post. I also read the post from the link provided, within this post. Americans stand with you all in France! Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press is so vital to any country.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and for your support. It is a difficult time, around the world I think... And you're right about speech and press freedom!
DeleteMy heart and prayers go out to the people of Paris. I thought of you when I heard the news and glad to find you and your family safe. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I think you're right. Instead of quieting those the attackers don't like, this incident will fire up thousands more who want to speak out against this senseless violence. Thanks for sharing with Small Victories Sunday linkup.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support and kind words, Tanya. I hope that better days are ahead... but I know it will be a long road for the families of the victims. So sad.
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