French terror attacks

[Antonio the Sixth]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30710883

This is horrible.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The editor, Charb, has reportedly died. He was one of the most brilliant pens of the journal (I used to read it a couple years ago), truly an unrelenting defender of liberty and justice. I really hope this isn't true.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I have no words. I genuinely have no words.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Charb, Cabu, Wolinski and Tignous. It's confirmed.

May these brave free-thinkers rest in peace.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Bernard Maris, their brilliant heterodox economist, is gone too. I feel empty.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I hope they catch the people who did this.

They'll either catch them or shoot them dead; I doubt many people care either way.

I prefer they're taken alive, there's nothing which have destroyed Breivik's cause more than he was taken alive, and we fould out what kind of manchild he is.

A living moron in prison is always better than a dead martyr.

Yes. They need to be caught, tried, and rot in jail.

[Antonio the Sixth]

They were some of the most brilliant, witty, kind, principled minds of my country. They were moved by the belief that freedom of expression is an everyday fight. France will never be the same without them.

[Antonio the Sixth]

[Antonio the Sixth]

RIP, great editors and others.

Hopefully they catch these suckers soon.

PS: Too bad I can't read what's on these cartoons. Would someone mind translating a few ?

The ones I posted, from top to bottom:
- Fascist, 700000 years ago; Fascist, 50000 years ago; Fascist, 12000 years ago; Fascist, today
- Right-wing austerity: "I can't have a shower every day"; Left-wing austerity: "I have to renounce to my 32th swimming pool"
- FN voters want to be heard: "We want to be heard! We want to be heard! We want to be heard!" "Actually, you have nothing else to say"
- France to help Syrian rebels: "The latest book from Bernard Henri-Levy, for free!"
- Women are the future of fanatics
- Banking earthquake: "300€ overdraft, that's too much!" "3,000,000,000€ overdraft, we can find an arrangement"

[Antonio the Sixth]

Absolutely horrible. The cowards and terrorists behind this need to be shot or locked up forever.

However, at the same time, I hope (a futile hope, mind you) that people don't overreact respond with hatred, intolerance and mindless knee-jerk xenophobia. I'm sure the last thing these free-thinkers would have wanted is for people to embrace Panzergirl's hatred and racism. Alas, it's France and not Canada.

Yes. Today more than ever, we need to come together as a people. All those who believe in the values of liberty and justice - the values these people died for - must join. The barbarians will have won if communities continue jumping at each other's throats.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Everyone please show some decency. This isn't the place to continue old debates and reignite clashes of civilization.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I've been asked to lock this thread in order to prevent it from devolving into a nasty polemic. This is not what this thread should be about. While I'd like to avoid going so far, please try to show some respect and dignity.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Anyone feel free to start a thread in the political debate board. That might be better indeed. This thread will remain focused on mourning and celebrating the legacy of the good people who died today.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Police is searching for them in Reims (east from Paris).

[Antonio the Sixth]

They're still looking for the two brothers. I really hope they catch them. Also no idea what to make of today's shooting. Hopefully there aren't more murderers on the loose.

[Antonio the Sixth]

"Mosque in Le Mans attacked with grenades."

Oh no. No. No. No. Please no. Not that. No.

[Antonio the Sixth]

All the political leaders in France will offer full throated condemnations of such an attack, as they should.

Meanwhile most Muslims will qualify every condemnation of the initial shooting.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6429710

[Antonio the Sixth]

The killers have reportedly been localized. A friend of my brother's who is in the police said they have been seen on a highway heading to Paris.

[Antonio the Sixth]

They were seen in the Departement of Aisne (north of Paris). Really hope they catch them alive.

[Antonio the Sixth]

They've got Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers. It's gonna be really hard.

[Antonio the Sixth]

This is absolutely horrific... My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who passed away, who were injured, and to their families and friends.

Also, while I'm no fan of terrorism of any flavour, this is by no means an excuse to jump on the whole "Ugh! I hate Muslims! All Muslims are terrorists!" bandwagon.

I'm fine with people not wanting to blame Muslims, but I find it disgusting, when people hear several people have been killed by two Muslim terrorist and the first they say is "oh no I hope they won't blame Muslims for this", even before anybody have blamed Muslims as a group for this.

French Muslims have fully expressed their sorrow and disgust. They really can't be faulted for anything this time.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Alice Petrén, foreign news Swedish Radio, says that the victims was not innocent, because Charlie Hebdo had publicised the Mohammed Cartoons.

She later say it was just a wrong choice of words*.

http://www.bt.dk/udland/svensk-journalist-i-modvind-sagde-i-liveradio-at-charlie-hebdo-ofrene-ikke-er-uskyl (in Danish)

*https://twitter.com/intent/follow?screen_name=alicepetren (in Swedish)

Absolutely sickening.

[Antonio the Sixth]

"Mosque in Le Mans attacked with grenades."

Oh no. No. No. No. Please no. Not that. No.

Yeah that suxx, but it was predictable that not all people would remain calm and do nothing.

And Le Pen even wants to re-introduce the death penalty ...

As if these terrorists give a damn about the death penalty.

If this is how we react, they will have won.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm glad to learn from our U.S. posters that the real legacy of Wolinski and Cabu is thoughtful discussion of the deeper social patterns underlying this attack (, I'd have thought their legacy was mainly 'épater les bourgeois',) but surely the main question you'd have to ask hasn't anything to do with 'freedom of speech' or 'islamofascism', but with why this sort of thing just keeps happening in France and not, for example, in Germany? Could it be that there's something awry with French society and its utter failure to achieve some degree of intergration for its sizeable North African minority? Could it be that laicité isn't the soundest foundation for a multi-ethnic society? If this attack is about anything other than some ridiculous losers donning a balaclava and a kalashnikov and yelling the takbir in a Paris street, it's surely about that.

The legacy of Charb and Cabu is fighting for freedom of expression, speaking out against bigotry and stupidity, and promoting humanistic values. Their thought and reflection were infinitely more articulate than you could ever hope to be. I understand that lot of people like you are too stupid to get it, but I hoped you could shut up for at least a couple days after this tragedy.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm glad to learn from our U.S. posters that the real legacy of Wolinski and Cabu is thoughtful discussion of the deeper social patterns underlying this attack (, I'd have thought their legacy was mainly 'épater les bourgeois',) but surely the main question you'd have to ask hasn't anything to do with 'freedom of speech' or 'islamofascism', but with why this sort of thing just keeps happening in France and not, for example, in Germany? Could it be that there's something awry with French society and its utter failure to achieve some degree of intergration for its sizeable North African minority? Could it be that laicité isn't the soundest foundation for a multi-ethnic society? If this attack is about anything other than some ridiculous losers donning a balaclava and a kalashnikov and yelling the takbir in a Paris street, it's surely about that.

The legacy of Charb and Cabu is fighting for freedom of expression, speaking out against bigotry and stupidity, and promoting humanistic values. Their thought and reflection were infinitely more articulate than you could ever hope to be. I understand that lot of people like you are too stupid to get it, but I hoped you could shut up for at least a couple days after this tragedy.

Just to be clear here: what I posted is by no means meant to demean the accomplishments of people like Wolinski or Cabu and their generation, whose specific brand of irreverence has been a major contribution to French culture and to Western European culture in general. (It's important to remember that these people have been very influential abroad as well.) But I do legitimately think that there are major, major, major issues with the way the French have chosen to deal with the mass migration that all European countries have had to deal with over the past 50 years. And if this isn't a moment to be aware of the gigantic problem that is brewing under the surface of your society, then when is? 

I get that, and you might well be right. I'd just appreciate, as a Frenchman and as a person who admired these great minds, you could wait a couple days before being a dick about it