‘What I regret is to see how little people fight to defend freedom. If we don’t fight for our freedom, we live like a slave and we promote a deadly ideology.’
Absolutely. But Laurent Sourisseau is one of the only people who will dare to say such a thing in the mainstream public discourse today. Cowardice is pandemic. That’s why the very foundations of free societies are so severely threatened.
“Charlie Hebdo chief says the magazine has ‘nothing to regret’ in publishing cartoons of prophet Mohammed, adding: ‘If we don’t fight for our freedom we promote a deadly ideology,'” by Jack Newman, Daily Mail, September 9, 2020 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
The current director of Charlie Hebdo says the magazine has ‘nothing to regret’ for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.
Laurent Sourisseau, known as ‘Riss’ and who was himself badly wounded in the shoulder in the attack, said on Wednesday he stands by the controversial editorial decision which angered Muslims all over the world.
He was speaking at the trial of 14 suspected accomplices to the 2015 attacks at the satirical magazine’s offices and a Jewish supermarket that left a total of 17 dead.
Sourisseau said: ‘I don’t want to be dependent on the insane arbitrariness of fanatics.’
He added ‘there is nothing to regret’ in having published the caricatures of Mohammed in 2006.
‘What I regret is to see how little people fight to defend freedom. If we don’t fight for our freedom, we live like a slave and we promote a deadly ideology.’
Ten people were killed inside the offices of Charlie Hebdo including Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, 76, Georges Wolinski, 80, and Stephane ‘Charb’ Charbonnier, 47, who were among France’s most celebrated cartoonists.
Sourisseau, 53, who succeeded Charb as head of the publication, insisted that freedom is ‘not something that drops from the sky’.
‘We grew up without imagining that one day our freedoms would be put into question.’
Recalling the horror of the attack by the brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, he said: ‘The immediate sensation after the attack is that you have been cut in half and you were being deprived of a part of yourself.’
Sourisseau now lives under round the clock protection. ‘It is like I am under house arrest.’
Defiant as ever, Charlie Hebdo last week republished the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, drawing new condemnation from states including Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.
‘If we had given up the right to publish these cartoons, that would mean that we were wrong to do so’ in the first place, he said.
He followed a survivor of the 2015 attack who revealed at court on Wednesday how the gunmen said ‘Allahu akbar’ (God is greatest), then shot him with their Kalashnikov rifles.
He said that after being shot he lost consciousness, and the gunmen moved on to other targets.
Speaking to a French court on Wednesday, Fieschi, 36, was forced to relive his traumatic experiences during the trial of 14 suspects accused of aiding the gunmen.
The survivor limped to the witness box using a crutch and declined to offer a seat, testifying standing.
The magazine’s webmaster said: ‘It was all very quick for me.
‘I remember the door opening violently, and gunshots. I remember a man who said: ‘Allahu akbar,’ and then, ‘We don’t kill women’….
Wellington says
This reminds me once again what the sapient Dennis Prager has said, to wit, that there are three types of good people—those who fight evil, those who aid the fighters who fight evil, and those who do nothing about evil, the last of these three types, sadly, constituting a very large majority of good people. Damn.
The reality is you can be good but nonetheless weak in the face of evil. Most good people are such. Wish this weren’t so but wishin’ ain’t gettin’. Damn.
A second point: It is ordinarily a small minority of the human race that advances all of the human race, all the while there is a not inconsiderable portion of the human race that actively tries to thwart or even demolish advances for our species. Damn.
eduardo odraude says
Reminds me of a recent movie in which one of the characters says, roughly, “Son, there are three kinds of people. There are sheep, there are sheepdogs, and there are wolves. Son, you are a sheepdog.”
curious george says
Reminds me of the movie – High Noon with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly
mgoldberg says
Think for a moment on the differing news information provided. First example: the one that garnered national headlines. Nicolas Sandman was pictured as a wretched bully who was smirking at a native american who was just demonstrating. This was told and retold even as the event totally fell apart- The Washington Post and other mass media have lost the lawsuits and have had to pay for their dreadful lying and distortions. Now, there was an murder of two compton california officers in their patrol car by a would be murderer and you don’t see the press opening up about the meaning nor telling what should be told. They are ignoring it.
Cynthia in California says
I’m not sure why you think the assault on the sheriff’s men has been ignored: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-ambush-shooting-of-two-sheriffs-deputies-in-los-angeles-was-a-monstrous-act-of-lawlessness/2020/09/14/bc4d275e-f6c4-11ea-be57-d00bb9bc632d_story.html?hpid=hp_save-opinions-float-right-4-0_opinion-card-e-right%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans
And it’s getting good coverage here in the S.F. Bay Area, a “blue” territory if ever there was one. Please find better examples. thx
gravenimage says
Spot on, Wellington.
Mount Zion says
He is completely right when he says that people don’t fight enough for their freedom , it’s just that if authorities themselves are not on your side by criminalizing every move when trying to stand up for freedom of speech or when calling out suicide bombings or vehicular jihad or honour killings , then people think twice bevore saying something. There was an incident a couple of years ago in England when a British guy got some jail time for leaving slices of bacon at the main entrance of a mosque , is that something remotely reasonable in a free society ? Or look at another headline by Jihad Watch :” Sharia Sweden: Police hunt for Danes who burned the Koran . There are many other cases like that where the alleged crime is punished like it would be in a muslim country under Sharia law .However , it’s still cowardice not to fight for our freedoms , I understand that .
curious george says
It does seem to be a Catch 22 when those in authority appear to be more tolerant of the bad guys and more aggressive towards those who respect the rule of law.
Missouri AG intervenes in case against St. Louis couple who defended their home with guns
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/missouri-ag-dropping-charges-against-st-louis-couple-who-defended-their-home-with-guns/
and the rest of the story
Did St. Louis Couple Bluff Trespassers with Inoperable Guns? Why it Matters
https://www.ammoland.com/2020/07/did-st-louis-couple-bluff-trespassers-with-inoperable-guns-why-it-matters/
Eva says
Of course they are – they’re on the same side!!!
And let’s not forget, they don’t have to live with this filth, we do!!!
mtman2 says
TRUMP – he fights…!!!
DavidR says
If people really understood that goodness does not lay at the heart of true Islam but rather saw the fundamental depravity disguised as obedience which is it’s cultish DNA they might then be supportive of freedom and see that Islam is one of it’s biggest threats.
Roger Woodhouse says
DavidR you are quite correct.The problem is that our government here in Britain is in denial or too afraid to accept that Islam poses a massive threat in the years to come.They are ignorant of its real motives as are the majority of the British people but ignorance is no excuse .The media is complicit in this deceit.Islam must be exposed warts ‘n all to our children.
Check Burry says
Coorect
somehistory says
If one gives in to a bully, the bully will not stop his bad behavior. It’s only when someone stands up to him that he will be willing to change…if just to keep from being beaten as he has beaten others.
Each time the moslims “get angry,” and the ones **causing** the anger….actually no one “causes” it…moslims are angry 24/7 or “8 days a week,”…is made to apologize, or run to hide, to stop whatever they were doing in order to quell the anger, it just adds fuel to the fire moslims are constantly building.
The man in Florida who burned their filthy book, the girl named Molly who drew their filthy fake prophet, …and a few others who have drawn or written something moslims get all heated up over…all were either told to stop, were threatened with death, were murdered by moslims, and this magazine editor is right. One must stand up for what is right. Even under threat…even more so under threat from evil. Evil must not be allowed to stomp on everyone with out a fight.
And the fact is, everyone, just by breathing life’s air, cause moslims to want to murder, and if given the chance, will do so. Everything and everyone “offends” them just by existing.
James Lincoln says
somehistory says,
“If one gives in to a bully, the bully will not stop his bad behavior. It’s only when someone stands up to him that he will be willing to change…”
100% true.
Also, the bully – if not confronted – will become increasingly aggressive over time – just to see how far they can push.
Unless confronted…
somehistory says
Like in the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” Lee Marvin just wouldn’t stop until someone stood up to him, but got worse with each victory. Bullies depend on others being afraid.
curious george says
somehistory says
Like in the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” Lee Marvin just wouldn’t stop until someone stood up to him, but got worse with each victory. Bullies depend on others being afraid.
……………………………..
An excellent movie, good choice.
gravenimage says
+1
Martin says
Turkey: Protest in Istanbul condemns republishing of Prophet Muhammad cartoons
As many as 200 Muslim protesters gathered at Beyazit Square in Istanbul on Sunday against the republishing of the Prophet Mohammed cartoons by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The protest was organised by the Foundation of Intellectuals of Ehl-i Beyt (Ehl-i Beyt Alimleri Dernegi in Turkish) and Foundation of the Light of Hope (Umut Isigi Dernegi in Turkish) which condemned French government and President Emmanuel Macron for allowing the cartoons to be republished.
Protesters held banners reading
”We are the ummah of Muhammad, we do not submit to humiliation”,
”The hands impinging on the Quran are to be broken” and
”France is a terrorist state” in Turkish and English.
”As it is already known, they attacked both the sacred persona of the prophet and our holy book The Noble Quran in France, Norway, and Sweden despicably, vulgarly and devilishly. And they still go on making these attacks,” said a protester addressing the crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iADHhbcyBTg
Martin says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BdS2ROP82I
gravenimage says
Disgusting.
Check Burry says
Only 200 sheep eh
jimjfox says
200 out of 80(?) million? I like to think a great many Turks don’t support the execrable Erdogan & are MINOs. When they realise Islamisation is taking their country down the gurgler perhaps Ataturk will have a resurgence
mortimer says
Sourisseau (Riss) is a hero of free speech along with cartoonist Stéphane “Charb” Charbonnier and their names will be honored hundreds of years from now, while the traitors to freedom will be reviled.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear!
Eva says
Absolutely!!!
Merri-joy says
To quote the editor of Charlie Hebdo in Paris ‘I don’t want to be dependent on the insane arbitrariness of fanatics.’
Madge Hirsch says
Tbey did kill a woman. Elsa Cayat who wrote a column about psychoanalysis. She is very rarely mentioned in the lists of victims. She was Jewish .
gravenimage says
True–Cayat was also one of the editors.
Eva says
Nobody believes them when they say they don’t kill women, to them killing women is like the equivalent of sports day.
gravenimage says
Muslims murder women all the time.
Cynthia in California says
Yes, they do; it’s just that they usually manage to cover it up by calling it “an honor killing.” Well, then! That’s not murder, is it? (bleah) And then there are the Christian men, women, and children (presumably of both sexes) killed in Nigeria and elsewhere for–what else?–being Christian.
“We don’t murder women.” What bull hockey.
Rob says
The long march of Islam through our institutions has had particular success with media. In my country (NZ), print media will not publish anything negative about Islam yet wallows in the threat posed by white supremacists.
gravenimage says
Grimly true in the US, Canada, Australia, and most of Western Europe, as well.
gravenimage says
Charlie Hebdo chief: ‘What I regret is to see how little people fight to defend freedom’
………………………
He is right to regret this apathy and dhimmitude. God knows I regret it myself. In fact, it angers me.
Eva says
Same here.
And when it’s gone, all the collaborators who aided and abetted in its loss will whine and cry about it, and say they never expected this to happen, blah fking blah, but they’ll expect us to go out and fight to get it back again.
I think we should use them as cannon fodder.
gravenimage says
I’d rather work to educate them about the threat of Islam.
Eva says
But the problem with that is they don’t want to be educated.
It’s not difficult to find the information, we all have, and many others like us.
Okay, so we may have had an advantage in that we managed to miss the brainwashing and indoctrination that some of the younger ones have been subjected to, but there are plenty of others who don’t have that excuse, and they’re just as bad as the kids.
They won’t be educated and that’s bad news for us as well as them.
gravenimage says
Eva, more people *are* waking up to the threat of Islam, albeit slowly.
Many in Britain before WWII were in denial about the threat of Fascism. Winston Churchill tried to expose the threat of Hitler. He did not want Britons to remain ignorant so that he could use them as cannon fodder–not that that would have worked, in any case. He never would have been able to stand against Fascism if Britons had remained in denial over the Nazi threat.
Really, educating people about the threat of Islam is the whole purpose of Jihad Watch.
tim gallagher says
I can’t remember his exact words but I can recall Mark Steyn being interviewed on radio five or six years ago here in Australia and he said something along the lines of that the western world could lose out, lose its liberal and democratic values, through apathy, slackness or becoming too soft. It was something along those lines. I thought at the time I heard it, spot on, mate. Most people in our societies seem too wishy washy, too politically correct and, maybe, lacking in an appreciation for what great societies we live in. If Islam gets power, all the good things about our way of life will be gone. Bravo to this man from Charlie Hebdo. One of the greatest fighters of all for our values against barbaric Islam is, of course, without a doubt, Robert Spencer.
gravenimage says
All too true, Tim–and Mark Steyn is a great Anti-Jihadist.
Lavéritétriomphera says
Al-Qaeda’s response was not long in coming:
Richard Malka, Charlie Hebdo’s historical lawyer, called Monday and said “We must stick together” in order to respond to al-Qaeda’s new threats to the satirical newspaper for reprinting cartoons of Mohammed https://actu.orange.fr/france/menaces-contre-charlie-hebdo-il-faut-se-serrer-les-coudes-dit-l-avocat-du-journal-CNT000001tg7vU.html.
gravenimage says
Grimly true:
“Al-Qaeda threatens Charlie Hebdo with ‘2015 like massacre’ over republication of Muhammad cartoons”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/09/al-qaeda-threatens-charlie-hebdo-with-2015-like-massacre-over-republication-of-muhammad-cartoons
OLD GUY says
Freedom of speech and the press is the enemy of Islam and all forms of domination in the form of dictatorships. Islam is a “religious” based form of dictatorship that wants to control the daily lives and thoughts of everyone on the face of earth.
peter says
Clearly Islam and Quran are at odds with the written constitution of most western countries including USA. Why don’t they have the gall to ban Quran when much lesser evil like Communism was banned in US .We need politicians with conviction . It is a rare commodity unfortunately all over the world .
infidel says
Allahu Akbar… We dont kill women,, the terrorist said as if doing his murder victims a favor…. Gr8 concession…. But I say that U do far worse to those same women whom U spared ..which is mass rape…
OTTER says
The large scale entry of women in public life in the West has led to soft nations who are incapable of fighting Islam. Clueless women (except a brave few) and deranged leftists. Sure combination for defeat. White women will defeat the West from within as the Muslims come.
gravenimage says
I see that OTTER here is ranting against women again–even though this story has nothing to do with them.
There have also been brave women cartoonists like Charlie Hebdo’s Elsa Cayat, who was murdered by Jihadists in 2015, and American cartoonist Molly Norris, who created “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”.
Of course, OTTER hopes you don’t know any of this.
His big idea is that white men have to control white women, and that Muslims have an “advantage” over us in abusing and persecuting women.
That many of us here actually support freedom and equality is not something he is capable of grasping. Too bad he doesn’t understand the point that Charlie Hebdo is making.