Je suis Charlie

For the 2015 French documentary film, see Je suis Charlie (film).

The standard layout, as copied from the Charlie Hebdo site
The front cover of edition of 14 January 2015, with a cartoon in the same style as 3 November 2011 cover, uses the phrase "Je suis Charlie".[1]
Slogan projected on the French embassy in Berlin

"Je suis Charlie" (French for 'I am Charlie'; French pronunciation: [ʒə sɥi ʃaʁli]) is a slogan and logo created by French art director Joachim Roncin and adopted by supporters of freedom of speech and freedom of the press after the 7 January 2015 shooting in which twelve people were killed at the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo. It identifies a speaker or supporter with those who were killed at the Charlie Hebdo shooting, and by extension, a supporter of freedom of speech and resistance to armed threats. Some journalists embraced the expression as a rallying cry for the freedom of self-expression.[2]

The slogan was first used on Twitter. The website of Charlie Hebdo went offline shortly after the shooting and when it became live again, it bore the legend Je suis Charlie on a black background,[3] a PDF containing translations in seven languages was added shortly thereafter.[4] The statement was used as the hashtag #jesuischarlie and #iamcharlie[5] on Twitter,[6] as computer printed or hand-made placards and stickers, and displayed on mobile phones at vigils, and on many websites, particularly media sites.

Within two days of the attack, the slogan had become one of the most popular news hashtags in Twitter history.[7] Je suis Charlie was adopted worldwide, was used in music, displayed in print and animated cartoons (including The Simpsons), and became the new name of a town square in France. On 12 January, Charlie Hebdo revealed the cover of its 14 January issue, set to be published a week after the attacks began. The cover features a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammad shedding a tear while holding a Je suis Charlie sign, below the words "Tout est pardonné" ("All is forgiven").[8]

  1. ^ "How I created the Charlie Hebdo magazine cover: cartoonist Luz's statement in full". The Telegraph. 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015.
  2. ^ "image". enisyavuz.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  3. ^ "Charlie Hedbo Official Website". 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015.
  4. ^ "(Je suis Charlie)" (PDF). Charlie Hebdo. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2015.
  5. ^ Cormack, Lucy (8 January 2015). "Paris terrorist attack: Charlie Hebdo shooting video provokes social media backlash". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  6. ^ Richard Booth (7 January 2015). "'Je suis Charlie' trends as people refuse to be silenced by Charlie Hebdo gunmen". Daily Mirror.
  7. ^ David Goldman; Jose Pagliery (9 January 2015). "#JeSuisCharlie becomes one of most popular hashtags in Twitter's history". CNNMoney. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  8. ^ Michael Cavna (12 January 2015). "Charlie Hebdo reveals first cover since attack: A 'prophet Muhammad' caricature, crying behind the sign, 'Je suis Charlie'". The Washington Post.