Terrorism & remembranceCharlie Hebdo changed the way the French say ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’
It has been three years since gunmen attacked the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. In the days that followed, five more lost their lives while police hunted for the perpetrators – brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi. Eventually, they were shot dead after an eight-hour standoff involving hostages. These events, and the way they have been memorialized since, have triggered a shift in some elements of French national identity – the collection of ideas, symbols and emotions that define what it means to be French – particularly the national motto, “liberté, égalité, fraternité.” In the aftermath of terror, the ideals of France’s past have subtly morphed, as its people look for ways to defend the right to free speech, while mourning the harsh reality of its cost. Amid all this conflict, there is some reassurance to be found: Paris’s contested sites and spaces are proof that freedom of speech is alive and well in France. Satire, after all, has a longer history than terrorism.
It has been three years since gunmen attacked the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. In the days that followed, five more lost their lives while police hunted for the perpetrators – brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi. Eventually, they were shot dead after an eight-hour standoff involving hostages.
In the aftermath of these events, time stood still. Christmas decorations eerily remained well into February in streets and stores, as civilians and leaders from across the globe gathered in Paris to mourn the victims and condemn terrorism. Online, the slogan “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) went viral, as millions of individuals expressed a shared sentiment and solidarity.
These events, and the way they have been memorialized since, have triggered a shift in some elements of French national identity – the collection of ideas, symbols and emotions that define what it means to be French – particularly the national motto, “liberté, égalité, fraternité” (liberty, equality, fraternity).
In the past, greater emphasis was placed on liberty, in rebellion against the oppressive monarchy of ancient France. But in response to the recent trauma, fraternity – or solidarity – has taken center stage, even appearing as a background to Macron’s promise for a “French Renaissance” in 2018. Today, fraternity represents the peace and sorrow of remembering the dead, rather than the violence and anger of the French Revolution.
The meaning of liberty itself has shifted to focus on a specific freedom - the freedom of speech, which the terrorists sought to silence. And the French sense of equality now resonates poignantly with Charlie Hebdo’s renowned mission to mock everyone equally. In the aftermath of terror, the ideals of France’s past have subtly morphed, as its people look for ways to defend the right to free speech, while mourning the harsh reality of its cost.
