On the 11th anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, the political arm of French Jewry vowed to uphold freedom of expression in memory of the 12 people murdered by jihadists at the satirical magazine’s offices.
“11 years ago, Islamist barbarism attacked freedom of expression by assassinating part of the Charlie Hebdo editorial team. Let us continue to defend freedom of expression without faltering,” CRIF, the umbrella group of French-Jewish communities, wrote on Wednesday.
Brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, who identified themselves as members of al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula, murdered 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo headquarters because the magazine had mocked Islam and depicted Mohammed.
A friend and accomplice of the brothers murdered four people two days later at a Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in east Paris. A police officer was also killed by the terror cell.
CRIF organizes annual commemorations for all the victims at the Hyper Cacher site, with the 11th scheduled for Jan. 9.
