Article content continued

Charlie Hebdo‘s past caricatures of the Muslim prophet appear to have prompted last week’s attacks, part of the worst terrorist rampage in France in decades.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

[np_storybar title=”Being fearful or being polite? Why Canada’s media won’t show the Charlie Hebdo pictures” link=”http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/13/chris-selley-why-canadas-media-wont-show-the-charlie-hebdo-pictures/”]

Those who hate the mainstream media for sport have had a fun week. Two men murdered 12 people in Paris, including most of the staff of a magazine, to avenge satirical depictions of the prophet Muhammad. And would the media dare print those depictions in solidarity, or simply to illustrate the news? Like fun they would. Snivelling cowards, the lot of them.

I’m not here to pile on; I’ve no high horse to ride. The National Postprinted the Charlie Hebdo covers; but back in 2006 (before my time) it did not print the Jyllands-Posten cartoons, which played precisely the same role in the story. The glory of a free press is that no outlet — no privately held one, anyway — has any obligation to print anything, or indeed to explain itself. If the subscribers don’t like it, they have easy and obvious recourse.

Read more…

[/np_storybar]

Some witnesses reported that the attackers at the paper’s offices shouted “We have avenged the prophet.” Many Muslims believe all images of the prophet are blasphemous.

Earlier Monday, Charlie Hebdo lawyer Richard Malka told French radio that the new issue would “obviously” feature cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.