France is preparing to commemorate ten years since the January 2015 attacks.
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Ten years since the Charlie Hebdo attack
Substantial security measures, political figures and relatives of victims expected. Tuesday January 7 and Wednesday January 8, tributes will be paid to the 17 people killed during the attacks of January 2015.
On January 7, 2015, twelve people, including eight members of Charlie Hebdo among whom Charb, Cabu, Wolinski and Tignous, had lost their lives in the attack on the weekly. The perpetrators of this attack, the Chérif brothers and Saïd Kouachi, were shot dead after two days of tracking by a GIGN intervention team in a printing works in Dammartin-en-Goële (Seine-et-Marne), where they were cut off.
The next day, municipal police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe was killed by terrorist Amédy Coulibaly in Montrouge. Twenty-four hours later, he shot dead four people of Jewish faith, Yohan Cohen, Yoav Hattab, Philippe Braham and François-Michel Saada, in the Hyper Cacher at Porte de Vincennes before being neutralized by the police.
Emmanuel Macron and several ministers present
These attacks caused worldwide emotion and gave birth to a slogan of support that remains famous: “I am Charlie.” On January 11, 2015, demonstrations brought together nearly 4 million people across France, with many heads of state and government in the Parisian procession. Ten years later, the commemorations organized on Tuesday will be “like every year” marked “through sobriety, in accordance with the wishes of the families”indicated the Paris town hall.
Tuesday January 7, Anne Hidalgo, “will pay tribute to the victims (…) in the presence of the President of the Republic”, Emmanuel Macron, “of several ministers” and the mayor of the 11th arrondissement François Vauglin. These commemorations will begin at 11:30 a.m. rue Nicolas-Appert in the 11th arrondissement, where Charlie Hebdo had its premises in 2015.
They will continue on Boulevard Richard Lenoir, where police officer Ahmed Merabet was shot dead by the Kouachi as they fled. Significant traffic and parking restrictions have been put in place for the occasion and a large number of law enforcement officers will be present.
The commemorations will end at 1:10 p.m. with a tribute to the victims of the Hyper Cacher store, with again an important security system.
On Wednesday, the city of Montrouge will organize a tribute ceremony to municipal police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe.
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A special issue of Charlie Hebdo
In addition to these commemorations, Charlie Hebdo A special 32-page issue will be released on Tuesday. He will publish caricatures on God selected as part of an international competition launched at the end of 2024. “They didn’t kill Charlie Hebdo” and “we want it to last 1000 years”, one of its figures, editor-in-chief Gérard Biard, told AFP. Charlie Hebdo, “which was built in marginality, now appears as an institution”, for his part, recently observed Riss, Charb’s successor.
“The next commemoration of the 2015 attacks (that of January 7, 2025, Editor’s note) reminds us that the dangers are still there and that we must not give in in the fight for the protection of the French and the defense of our freedoms”declared Emmanuel Macron on Friday during the council of ministers, according to comments reported by a participant.
The Minister of Culture Rachida Dati also indicated on X that she would present on February 7 the architectural project of the House of Press Cartoons promised for 2027, which has been delayed.
