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In an exclusive interview with Vice News, cartoonist Renald 'Luz' Luzier gave an emotional account of the terrorist attack, and remains a staunch advocate of free speech despite the deaths of his cartoonist friends.
“There are cartoonists in France who say, ‘we can no longer draw things that could offend someone elsewhere in the world’,” he told Vice reporter Milene Larsson in his “sniper-proof” apartment.
“But if we take into account the positions and opinions of the whole world we might as well tear up our drawings. It is over.”
Luzier said he was disappointed when publications like The New York Time refused to published the latest Charlie Hebdo cover of the Prophet Mohammed, which he drew. (Luzier was also responsible for the 2011 Prophet Mohammed cover that resulted in the firebombing of their offices.)
“I was pretty sad when I saw some magazine covers such as the New York Times refusing to publish our front cover. Out of fear of doing some harm or for fear of terrorists,” he said.
Luzier said it was luck that saved his life.
“It was my birthday, the January 7, and I stayed in bed with my wife for a long time.”
He explained that she had made a birthday cake and coffee for him that day, which caused him to be late to the editorial meeting. But when he prevented from going into the Charlie Hebdo offices, he knew something wasn’t right.
“It felt strange,” he said. “And then we heard the first gunshot.”
When he finally let himself into the office, it was an horrific sight.
“I start seeing bloody footsteps. I understand later that this was my friends’ blood. I saw that there were people on the ground. Their backs. I saw a friend on the floor, his face against the floor.”
Since the attacks, Charlie Hebdo has become a symbol for free speech. But it’s a symbol Luzier isn’t altogether comfortable with.
“We always navigated between the roles of agitators and white knights defending free speech. But then, all at once, everybody was saying “I am Charlie” and for ourselves becoming a symbol is difficult. Because Charlie fought against symbols.
“How do we burst the bubble of this symbol? The symbol we’ve become.”
The French cartoonist also criticised the hypocrisy of Saudi Arabia for marching with world leaders in support of Charlie Hebdo and free speech. The Arab nation has a poor human rights record, according to Human Rights Watch, and recently sentenced blogger Raef Badawi to ten years in prison and 1000 lashes for insulting Islam.
“It’s a good thing that people supported us, I’m happy, it gives me hope. When I saw President Hollande at the march, a pigeon shat on him. It was great,” he said.
“What an irony to see that behind us was a representative from Saudi Arabia. Where the blogger Badawi is in jail for ten years, where they lash him every week. All of a sudden, Saudi Arabia says, “I’m Charlie,” but it is not.”
Despite sparking anti-Charlie Hebdo protests in some Muslim countries with their latest cover, Luzier is convinced most Muslims don’t care about his magazine.
“I think that most Muslims don’t care about Charlie Hebdo. Those who claim all Muslims are offended take Muslims for imbeciles, I think. We don’t take Muslims for imbeciles.”
Going forward, Luzier said he simply wants his cartoons to do what they do best: poke fun at our strange world.
“Humour doesn’t kill anyone. We can’t be prisonsers of the sense of humour of others. I just want the drawings to be irresponsible again. But it’s going to be difficult.
“We must draw in order to describe this strange world.”
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