Commemoration, gathering, round tables… On January 7, 2015, two terrorists attacked the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, killing 12 people, including eight members of the editorial staff. Ten years after this attack, different tributes take place in Paris and in many towns in the region. Franceinfo draws up the program for these commemorations.
In a press release published at the end of December, the city of Paris announced that socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo would pay tribute to the victims of the 2015 attacks. “in the presence of the President of the Republic, several ministers as well as elected officials from the city of Paris”. This year, all of the commemorations will be broadcast live on France 2 during a special broadcast.
A first tribute will be made on Tuesday January 7 at 11:30 a.m. in front of the former premises of Charlie Hebdoat n°10 rue Nicolas Appert. At 11:50 a.m., a second will take place on Boulevard Richard Lenoir, a few meters away, in memory of police lieutenant Ahmed Merabet, killed by the Kouachi brothers. A final tribute takes place at 1:10 p.m. in front of the Hyper Cacher, avenue de la Porte de Vincennes, in the 20th arrondissement.
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif) is also organizing a tribute to the victims of Amedy Coulibaly in front of the Hyper Cacher on Thursday January 9 at noon. Furthermore, Crif announced on its website an evening of debate and tribute “to rediscover the spirit of the demonstration of January 11, 2015” during which millions of French people marched in support of freedom of expression. This evening is organized jointly with Charlie Hebdo at the Maison de la mutualité. On Wednesday January 8, the city of Montrouge is also planning a tribute ceremony to municipal police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe, killed by Amedy Coulibaly.
The weekly will also release a special 32-page issue on the anniversary of the terrorist attack. It includes caricatures selected during an international competition launched until mid-December. Called #RireDeDieu, its aim is to denounce “the influence of all religions” on society, according to Charlie Hebdo. The editorial team will also present the results of a survey on the question: is France still Charlie? “They did not kill Charlie Hebdo. We want it to last 1,000 years.”said editor-in-chief Gérard Biard to AFP.
Also on January 7, moments of contemplation will take place throughout France: in Lille (North), at 11:30 a.m. on the square in front of the town hall or in Besançon (Doubs) at noon on the Esplanade des Droits de l ‘man. In Toulouse, hometown of economist Bernard Maris, one of the victims of the attack, the tribute will take place at noon, Square Charles de Gaulle. The Actu.fr site notes that the program is particularly rich in the pink city, with gatherings, documentary screenings and meetings and debates between January 7 and 17.
Still in Toulouse, the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra) is also organizing a ceremony on January 11 on the Place du Salin at 3:30 p.m. In Occitanie, the region is also launching the exhibition of press cartoons on January 7 “BORDER LINE” at Saint-Roch station and on the square in front of the Montpellier regional hotel, as well as projections retracing, in images and drawings, the week of January 7 to 11, 2015 on the regional hotels of Toulouse and Montpellier, she announced on her site.
In the Grand Est region, it is high school students who are taking on the “Charlie spirit”, by participating in the publication of a newspaper on January 7. “This newspaper will allow students to understand the principle of freedom of the press, to try their hand at press cartoons and, more generally, at journalism”explained the region on its site. Commemorations will also take place in high schools in the region on the anniversary of the attack.
