The French public supports the victims, not the magazine itself. As for being a great defender of free speech, ironically enough, Charlie Hebdo was accused in February 2015 of attacking freedom of the press when they tried to suppress the publication of Charpie Hebdo, a parody of its own magazine. So much for a sense of humor!  

For those who may not know, Charlie Hebdo is a French (allegedly) satirical weekly magazine. Right from its inception in 1970, it has been banned, sued, and publicly criticized in France for continuous abuses, notably calling Palestinians “uncivilized”, mocking victims of tragic events such as plane crashes or boat accidents carrying migrants fleeing violence in Syria, besides its relentless, targeted and defiling attacks against Islam and Christianity alike. 

Warnings were aplenty. Further to bans and legal suits, way back in 2006, French president Jacques Chirac strongly condemned "overt provocations". He urged that "anything that can hurt the convictions of someone else, in particular religious convictions, should be avoided". And in 2012, foreign minister Laurent Fabius warned that “strong emotions have been awakened in many Muslim countries." "Is it really sensible or intelligent to pour oil on the fire?” he wisely cautioned.  

But Charlie Hebdo has always thrown caution to the wind and defiantly published its blatantly racist cartoons. Isn’t this kind of obsession to shockingly offend and deliberately provoke exactly what is often castigated as extremism and fanaticism?

Despite all the provocation, the Muslim reaction was laudably restrained; first, they asked for a public debate to explain their grief, then they sought legal action, and finally, they resorted to protests on the streets only after their demands were rejected or ignored. Yes, those same people that are always portrayed as brainless, bloodthirsty terrorists reacted each and every time in a conciliatory and civilized manner.

Admittedly, human patience has its limits; in 2015, a group of Muslim extremists, sickened that the French state itself had given Charlie Hebdo the license to continue with its hate speech and bullying tactics, decided to put an end to Charlie Hebdo’s extremism by taking justice in their own hands. The fatal outcome made headlines.  

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