THE INDEPENDENT: Death threats have closed the website of a French satirical magazine fire-bombed this week after featuring cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed, but that did not deter the daily Libération from publishing new drawings yesterday in a show of solidarity.
The Belgian company which runs Charlie Hebdo's internet site pulled the plug yesterday after anonymous threats were emailed. The magazine has been the victim of an intensive cyber war waged from the Muslim world, especially Turkey, since it published an edition on Wednesday which it said was "guest-edited by Mohamed", and was littered with Mohamed cartoons.
Charlie Hebdo's Facebook page has been inundated with messages in English, French, Turkish and Arabic, rejoicing in the Molotov cocktail attack which destroyed the magazine's offices in Paris in the early hours of Wednesday. Messages, repeated over and over, include, "Go to the devil, Charlie Hebdo" and "Shame on Charlie Hebdo".
The centre-left Libération risked the wrath of Islamic extremists yesterday by publishing a special edition of Charlie Hebdo, including two new Mohamed cartoons. A four-page supplement, wrapped around the main newspaper, carried a joint Charlie Hebdo-Libération masthead and 17 cartoons drawn by the magazine's regular contributors.
One cartoon showed a bearded man's head on the body of a fire-breathing dragon. The caption asked, "Is this the real face of Mohamed?" Other drawings were self-mocking. One showed a cartoonist in the centre of a defensive ring of heavily armed soldiers. The cartoonist says, "I have got another hilarious gag." A soldier replies, "I was afraid of that." » | JOHN LICHFIELD | PARIS | Friday, November 04, 2011
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