On January 7, 2015, two terrorists attacked the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people, including cartoonists Cabu, Charb, Tignous and Wolinski. Victims notably had links with the Centre-Val de Loire region.
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10 years ago, France fell into horror. Two terrorists, nicknamed the Kouachi brothers, entered the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people. It was then the deadliest attack perpetrated on the territory in more than 50 years.
The next day, emotion spread throughout the region.
In Bourges, Châteauroux, Tours, Blois, Orléans, Chartres, thousands of people gathered spontaneously to pay tribute to the victims, displaying the now famous slogan: “Je suis Charlie.”
During the three days of national mourning, the region, like the rest of France, observed a minute of silence in tribute to the deceased.
Among the victims, several had links with the Center-Val de Loire. The economist Bernard Maris, one of the 12 people killed, was the son-in-law of Maurice Genevoix. He came regularly to Saint-Denis-de-l’Hôtel, in Loiret, where the writer had a house.
The designer Tignous, whose real name was Bernard Verlhac, had family ties in Berry, particularly in Bourges.
The Charlie Hebdo attack was just the beginning of a series of attacks.
On January 8, Amedy Coulibaly murdered police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe in Montrouge, before taking hostages at the Hyper Cacher the next day, killing four other people.
Faced with this wave of terror, the population mobilized en masse.
In Orléans, more than 22,000 people gathered, an unprecedented gathering. 4000 also gathered in Bourges.
On Sunday January 11, a huge Republican march against terrorism saw 1.5 million people march in Paris and nearly 4 million across the country, becoming the largest demonstration ever recorded in France.
