Justice

Charlie Hebdo's Chilling New Cover

January 5th 2016

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. A year later, the magazine has a strong message.

On the cover of the 32-page special edition issue — which is set to hit stands on Wednesday — is an image that depicts God with an assault rifle swung over his shoulder, accompanied by the text: “One year on: the assassin is still out there," the Guardian reports.

The publication, which is known for their controversial magazine covers, became the victim of a terror attack last year; Charlie Hebdo was targeted due to the long history of publishing provocative caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Twelve people, including four prominent cartoonists, were killed. The special edition issue will feature a series of illustrations from the cartoonists who died and an editorial by the new head of Charlie Hebdo, Laurent Sourisseau. Sourisseau was wounded in the attacks and is the one responsible for drawing the cartoon for the special edition cover, according to NBC.

Related: Why a Charlie Hebdo Cartoonist Won't Pray for Paris

In response to the religious extremist philosophy that took the lives of his coworkers, Sourisseau condemned religious fanatics and defended secularism. In his editorial, he harshly criticized "fanatics brutalized by the Koran" and people from other religions who also hoped to see the magazine crumble for "daring to laugh at the religious."

At one point the magazine did almost disappear due to financial problems, but since the massacre, Charlie Hebdo has received at least 200,000 new subscriptions, according to the Guardian.

A small excerpt from Sourisseau's editorial was reported by NBC:

"Were they strong enough to give us the energy to pick ourselves up? You have the answer in your hands. The convictions of atheists and seculars can move more mountains than the faith of believers."

Related: The New Charlie Hebdo Cover is Basically a Huge Middle Finger to ISIS

Ten months after the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, terrorists struck again. In November, 130 people died in a series of deadly attacks in Paris. Not long after that, the magazine released this cover to show the resolve of the French people.

France honors the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre

France's government has already taken steps to honor the victims of Charlie Hebdo. On Tuesday, France's president Francois Hollande unveiled memorial plaques to commemorate the staff of Charlie Hebdo who died in the terror attacks last year, as well as the four people who died in a terrorist attack at a French kosher supermarket two days later, the BBC reported.

Related: Why It's Disgraceful to Blame Refugees for the Attacks in Paris

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