Freedom of thought in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks

Peer reviewed

The Multidirectional Memory of Charlie Hebdo

This article will discuss notions and concepts of remembering in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Much has been written about the immediate response to the attacks, both commending the collective spirit of unity that defined the ‘marche républicaine’ of 11 January 2015, and criticising the alleged hypocrisy and cynicism of, most notably, the political figures that took to the streets that day, hand in hand. I will consider a selection of the memory practices that have emerged since then, notably on the anniversary of the event. This demonstration of memory provides key insights into the form and manner of remembering within a particular cultural group, but also reflects how the present moment is integral to our understanding of memory. The purpose of this article is to consider how official and non-official remembering of Charlie Hebdo can intertwine as well as pull in separate directions. A focus on the politics, the language, the aesthetics and the geography of commemorative activities in this article will enable an appreciation of the multidirectional character of remembering Charlie Hebdo.

After Charlie: free speech and the political economy of communication

Three significant events at the start of 2015 have put freedom of speech firmly on the global agenda. The first was the carry-over from the December 2014 illegal entry to the Sony Corporation’s file servers by anonymous hackers, believed to be linked to the North Korean regime. The second was the horrible attack on journalists, editors, and cartoonists at the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo on 7 January. The third was the election of leftwing anti-austerity party Syrzia in Greece on 25 January.While each event is different in scope and size, they are important to scholars of the political economy of communication because they all speak to ongoing debates about freedom of expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. I name each of these concepts separately because, despite popular confusion, they are not the same thing (Patching and Hirst, 2014) . Freedom of expression is the right to individual self-expression through any means; it is an inalienable human right. Freedom of speech refers to the right (and the physical ability) to utter political speech, to say what others wish to repress and to demand a voice with which to express a range of social and political thoughts. Freedom of the press is a very particular version of freedom of expression that is intimately bound with the political economy of speech and of the printing press. Freedom of the press is impossible without the press and, despite its theoretical availability to all of us, this principle is impossible to articulate without the material means (usually money) to actually deploy a printing press (or the electronic means of broadcasting and publishing).Freedom of expression is immutable; freedom of speech subject to legal, ethical and ideological restriction (for better, or worse) and freedom of the press is peculiar to bourgeois society in that it entails the freedom to own and operate a press, not the right to say or publish on a level playing field. Access to freedom of the press is determined in the marketplace and is subject to the unequal power relationships that such determination implies.It is fitting to start with the Charlie Hebdo massacre because the loss of 17 lives makes this the most chilling of the three events and demands that it be given prominence in any analysis. No lives have been lost yet because Sony’s computers were hacked and the election of Syriza has not (yet) led to mass deaths in Greece.

The Interview: Schnarking, Knob Jokes and the right to cause gross offence

Discussion of censorship and media freedom in the context of The Interview. A few weeks before the murderous attack by Islamic extremists on the satirical journal Charlie Hebdo, the Hollywood dream factory had its own encounter with would-be censors. The Interview (Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, 2014), as everyone with an interest in culture and current affairs cannot fail to be aware of by now, is a comedy in the “grossout” tradition exemplified by commercially successful movies such as Ted (Seth MacFarlane, 2012) and Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011). Their humour is a combination of slapstick, physical comedy, and scatological jokes involving body fluids and the like— hence the “gross”. The best of them have been very funny, as well as bordering on the offensive (see Ted’s scene involving prostitutes, a foul-mouthed teddy bear and the entertainment value of someone taking a dump on the living room floor). They have often been controversial, as in the Farrelly brothers’ Me, Myself and Irene (2000), starring Jim Carrey as a schizophrenic police officer. At their most outrageous they have pushed the boundaries of political correctness to the limit.

Libertad de expresión y ofensa a los sentimientos religiosos en el actual contexto europeo de diversidad cultural

Tras el atentado del 7 de enero de 2015 al semanario francés Charlie-Hebdo por las ofensivas caricaturas sobre Mahoma, se ha reabierto el debate acerca del conflicto entre la libertad de expresióny los sentimientos religiosos. Ante la necesidad de ponderar ambos derechos fundamentales, la finalidad de este trabajo es analizar los sentimientos religiosos como límite de la libertad de expresión, en base a diferentes documentos del Consejo de Europa acerca de esta materia y la jurisprudencia del Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos. Finalmente, los elementos analizados darán respuesta al caso concreto de las caricaturas.

A sátira política na televisão: O caso do "Governo Sombra"

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Jornalismo.

Atentado na França teve repercussão mundial também nas redes sociais

Monitoramento das redes sociais realizado pela Diretoria de Análise de Políticas Públicas da FGV mostra a repercussão do ataque ao Charlie Hebdo pelo mundo. O mapa revela que o caso recebeu grande destaque ao longo do dia, com um alto volume de menções em todas as regiões do mundo, mas predominantemente Europa e EUA. De 9h a 17h (horário de Brasília), foram registradas mais de 4,5 milhões de menções ao caso, com picos de mais de 6 mil tuítes por minuto. A hashtag mais mencionada foi #charliehebdo (2 milhoes), seguida de #jesuischarlie ("eu sou charlie" com 700 mil).

Ataque na França dominou as redes nos últimos 3 dias

Reportagem exibida pelo Jornal da Globo News

Ataques na França intensificam debate sobre imigração

Os ataques ao semanário francês Charlie Hebdo, na semana passada, reacenderam o debate sobre a questão imigratória na Europa. Na sexta, ministros da União Europeia se reúnem para, entre outras coisas, discutir medidas para aumentar o controle sobre a entrada e circulação de pessoas no bloco. O debate opõe partidários de uma "linha-dura" em relação aos imigrantes, sobretudo os partidos de direita e extrema-direita europeus, aos defensores de direitos humanos e direitos dos imigrantes, que temem o aumento da xenofobia e das políticas de vigilância dos Estados.

Ataque na França estimula debate no mundo sobre liberdade de expressão

O ataque ao semanário francês Charlie Hebdo, em Paris, no início de janeiro, polarizou as redes sociais através das manifestações Je suis Charlie e Je ne suis pas Charlie Para entender os discursos e razões de cada grupo, a Diretoria de Análise de Políticas Públicas monitorou as redes sociais entre os dias 7 e 19 de janeiro. As nuvens de palavras abaixo representam as respectivas hashtags #jesuischarlie e #jenesuispascharlie, e através delas é possível observar os diferentes discursos a partir dos termos e palavras relacionadas a cada expressão que foi usada durante esses dias. No total, foram mais de 3 milhões de tuítes coletados, nos idiomas inglês, francês, português e espanhol.

Le politiquement correct en France : analyse du phénomène et des procédés linguistiques

Lo scopo di questa tesi è quello di presentare un fenomeno sociolinguistico che sta coinvolgendo sempre di più le generazioni d’oggi: il “politically correct”. A partire dalle sue origine americane, il “politically correct” viene qui analizzato in un contesto specifico: quello della Francia degli ultimi anni. Si è cercato di adottare un metodo più pragmatico possibile per accompagnare alla sua definizione e alla sua evoluzione esempi pratici e concreti, a partire dalle somiglianze riscontrate con la “langue de bois”, il linguaggio per eccellenza dei politici, così come viene definito in Francia, il concetto di taboo e i modi in cui si forma questo linguaggio attraverso figure retoriche e sigle. Ci si è concentrati quindi sull’affermazione del “politically correct” nei media, mostrando degli esempi presi da quotidiani francesi circa un fatto che ha sconvolto la Francia e il mondo intero: Charlie Hebdo e gli attacchi terroristici. In questo modo si è potuto affrontare la tematica del razzismo, il tema scelto per analizzare da un punto di vista specifico questo fenomeno sociolinguistico. Si è cercato di mostrare quindi il legame fra questa tematica e il “politically corrrect” analizzando dapprima la crescente paura nei confronti di tutta la comunità musulmana, attraverso l’analisi di parole ed espressioni “politically correct” presenti ormai negli articoli dei giornali francesi, per poi concludere con un’analisi di due libri “Parlez-vous le politiquement correct” di Georges Lebouc e “Mots et culture dans tous les sens. Initiation à la lexiculture pour italophones” e delle espressioni proposte sulla tematica del razzismo e della xenofobia, mostrando attraverso una tabella il cambiamento che hanno subito queste parole rispetto alla lingua originaria.

Early years activities for NLNW 2012 - Pearl Barley & Charlie Parsley

This Early Years unit is designed to engage students in a sequence of activities that use a range of literacies which explore feelings, friendships and personality traits. The text, Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, is the focus of this unit. Suggested activities promote participation through simple and effective strategies, using technology, process drama, graphic ogranisers and critical literacy. This unit allows for flexibility so teachers can select activities that best suit time, resources and students' needs and interests. Students are asked to make connections between the text and their own friendships, understanding that the best of friends can be different in almost every way.

Activities for Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey Puffin Books 2007 Target group: Upper Primary

An upper primary multiliteracies project based on the children’s book “Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley” by Aaron Blabey. The main theme explored is same and different.

Portrait of Walter Godshaw, Charlie Sloan (Karl-Hermann Solomon), and Ida, Kaete Solomon's maid; Hannover, Germany.

From left to right: Walter Gottschalk, Ida, Charlie Sloan (Karl Hermann Solomon); Ida, Kaete Solomon's maid, nursed Charlie back to health after his release from Dachau