Founding of Charlie Hebdo

Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical weekly newspaper known for cartoons and sharp criticism of politicians, religions and public figures. It was founded in 1970 as the successor to Hara-Kiri, a magazine that had been banned after mocking the death of Charles de Gaulle, and its name is said to be a play on that event and on the comic strip Charlie Brown. The paper has a left-wing and strongly secularist stance and has often been taken to court. After it republished cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, its offices were firebombed in 2011. On 7 January 2015 two gunmen attacked its Paris office, killing twelve people, which prompted large demonstrations in France and abroad in support of freedom of expression.

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