QNetNews on the ground in Toronto and Paris for Je Suis Charlie

Click on photos for captions 

By Moush Sara John

The past week has seen a lot happen in Paris.

But through six almost sleepless nights and boundless up and downs, there’s been one

conversation that Hélène Roth has battled with over and over again, “Why would you

attack and kill someone for the depiction of truth, for pointing at issues that concern

society at large?”

Roth is a first-year photojournalism student at Loyalist College and was at Place de la

République in Paris the day after the attacks.

“As chants of ‘On a pas peur’ (‘We are not scared’) rang through the air, I stood there

thinking — it is hard to say it is beautiful, but it is. We were around the monument of

Marianne, which is symbolic of French revolution, and embodies the French values

of ‘liberty, equality, and fraternity’ and it was beautiful to see everyone united for the

same cause, standing together representing what France stands for.

“It was really emotional seeing so many people present at the square, seeing so much

respect and silence. Thinking about the thousands paying homage to the fallen journalists

who have been working so hard and for so long, courageously, to report and publish

information that no other media would in France or even elsewhere.” As she says this,

her face clouds and her voice wanders away.

“My mind moves to the square, to the dizzying crowds of people singing the French

national anthem in unison and “. . . chanting ‘non à l’amalgame’, ‘on a pas peur’, ‘le

crayon vaincra le fusil’, ‘liberté d’expression’ (‘no to the confusion’, ‘we are not

scared’, ‘the pencil will beat the gun’, ‘liberty of expression’).

“It was powerful in a quiet way. I lost myself in the crowds of people, remembering the

values of our nation, the blood that had already been shed, and the people who had fought

for the rights that we stand for.”

Long-known for its freedom of expression and powerful concept of secularism, France

came under attack last Wednesday when masked gunmen shot and killed 12 people at the

satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo office in Paris.

The following day, a French policewoman was gunned down, and on the final day of the

crisis, four more hostages were killed at a Jewish grocery standoff.

Although three of the four terror suspects were killed, at least one of the suspects in the

Charlie Hebdo attack remains at large.

As France and the rest of the world still reels under these attacks that struck terror at

the heart of Paris, there is a growing dismay among journalists and proponents of free

speech. More than 3.7 million people marched on Sunday throughout France in massive

anti-terrorism rallies to show solidarity, among them were 40 world leaders.

“Before the Charlie Hebdo attack, the last major attack took place 20 years ago,” says

Stéphane Schorderet, press and communication counsellor at the French embassy in

Ottawa.

“No one is safe from the acts of madmen capable of striking anywhere. We must

therefore be vigilant but we must also inform, educate, and re-educate people about how

to live together. The fact that four million people came out into the street all over France

on Sunday shows that that France is still a strong, united country.”

Pondering the loss of life, and why it hurts so much, Roth says, “Some of the journalists

who have succumbed to the attacks have been working since the 1960s, depicting a

whole range of issues through their satire, from governments to religion, from people to

politics, from national to international issues.

“So it is sad to see them go this way. It is ironic that those who are at the very heart of the

freedom of speech should be silenced.

“In many ways, I think the French people realize how deep our loss is. And we are

standing today in unity, and hoping that there will be more people like Charlie Hebdo.

Nous sommes Charlie Hebdo.”

Garry Clement, an Ontario-based internationally recognized expert in the areas of money

laundering and organized crime, with 34 years of policing experience says the Paris

attacks represent home-grown terror.

“Having worked post 9-11 in the national security arena and with latest developments

around the world, the incident does not come as a surprise.

“The target is symbolic but the western world is now having to face inevitable home-
grown terrorist attacks. All western countries have been well aware of individuals who

have left our countries and are now returning, after being radicalized and having fought

in Syria.

“The reality is that the radicalization of the individuals has not gone away and therefore

this will be the challenge for the future.”

Business Insider recently reported that the U.S. and European security services estimate

that more than 1,000 jihadist militants fighting in Iraq and Syria were engaged in the

conflict from the western nations with some estimates even putting the number as high as

3,000. In an accompanying graph, France topped the list with 700.

“The impact is that no western country is safe from the threat of terrorism and that

governments will need to look at proactive measures in order to control those individuals

who are known jihadists,” says Clement.

As night descended Monday on the French capital in slow motion, and the sun rose today

bathing Paris proudly in its winter hues, Charlie Hebdo officials decided the magazine

will publish three million copies of the next issue tomorrow, with the cover showing the

Prophet Muhammad holding a sign saying, “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”), with the

words “All is forgiven” in French above it on a green background.