With the blatant attack by armed extremists on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7th, Western societies are viewing the horrific incident as a direct attack on the freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Why the unfortunate staff of this particular publication were targeted is pretty well self-explanatory. After all, Charlie Hebdo’s offices were fired bombed in 2012 by extremists because of satirical cartoons depicting Islam’s prophet Mohammad. The cartoons angered many Muslims who view such depictions as heresy. Moreover, some don’t see the humour in such depictions, in extreme cases bringing out the crazies who then invoke various forms of terrorism in retaliation.
Unfortunately, such tragic events also often lead to different forms of backlash in the countries where they occur. Governments may impose more security laws, reduce immigration from certain countries, and increase surveillance of certain domestic groups. Other national extremist groups may rev up their anti-Muslim activities, such as was the case in Sweden where Christian terrorists recently destroyed mosques in that country. One has to remember that there are the larger numbers of peaceful and law-abiding Muslims in the centre of almost every city on the European continent. However, economic and social strains already exist between Muslims and those whose roots in Europe are far deeper. Although Muslim communities vehemently condemn such violence, there will nevertheless be immediate public backlash in various forms.
In the case of the attack on Charlie Hebdo, it is seen as a deliberate attack on some of our fundamental freedoms. Journalists everywhere are outraged, and rightly so. However, media attacks are not something new. Remember the attacks on media sources during the civil rights movement in the U.S. in the early sixties, or attacks on Quebec media sources following the FLQ terrorists attacks and kidnappings in the early seventies — with the subsequent federal implementation of the War Measures Act in Canada invoking martial law. In both cases, journalists were jailed and denied their legal rights. Journalists knowingly take risks in pursuing certain stories every day, including those who have written about organized crime syndicates in the Americas and Europe.
Journalists are a tough breed often in a thankless and misunderstood occupation. They tend not to scare very easily, which is a good thing for a free and open society. For this reason, tragic events such as that in Paris will only strengthen the resolve of these brave men and women to pursue their stories and publish their findings. As in any democratic society, they represent an important asset in ensuring our rights to know more about the issues we all face on a daily basis. For all these reasons, let us not push any panic buttons. Let us continue to support and respect the work of all media.
FROLITICKS 