The first edition of Charlie Hebdo since the terror attacks in Paris last week that left 17 people dead appeared to sell out at newsstands across France within minutes of going on sale Wednesday, according to reports.
Copies of Charlie Hebdo‘s defiant new issue were running low just a few minutes after being made available at kiosks across the country, according to Agence France-Press and the Associated Press. The AP said it witnessed scuffles as people realized that copies were selling quickly.
Wednesday’s issue of the satirical newspaper features a cartoon on its cover depicting the Prophet Muhammad. He is crying and holding a sign in his hands that says, “Je suis Charle” (“I am Charlie”) — a reference to the slogan adopted by anti-violence and free speech campaigners in the wake of the attacks. It is forbidden under Islam to show images depicting the prophet.
Three million copies have been printed — 60,000 are usually published— and the print run may be extended. It has been translated into six languages and is being distributed internationally for the first time.
A week ago, gunmen linked to radical Islam murdered eight staff members at the magazine along with four other people. Four more people were killed in separate attacks on a policewomen and at a kosher supermarket.
The publication of Charlie Hebdo‘s controversial cover comes as France’s government was preparing new, tougher anti-terror laws. On Wednesday, police detained French comic Dieudonne for defending terrorism in comments posted on Facebook.
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