Charlie Hebdo: "Here we go again!"
Seven weeks after the attacks, the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo has gone on sale. The issue, with which the satirical newspaper aims to usher in a return to normality, was published with a circulation of 2.5 million copies.
Before the attacks, Charlie Hebdo had a circulation of around 60,000 copies. The new issue is also available in Switzerland: over 20,000 copies have been delivered, whereas only around 300 copies were sold before the attacks. In French-speaking Switzerland, the latest issue has been available at newsstands since Wednesday morning. Previously, deliveries to stores had been delayed by one or two days compared to the start of sales in France, according to the French-speaking Swiss newsstand chain Naville Presse. In German-speaking Switzerland, where only around 500 copies are distributed, the satirical magazine will not be available from Valora until Friday.
"Here we go again!"
No Mohammed caricature was printed on the front page of the latest issue this time. It shows a caricature on a red background in which a dog with a Charlie Hebdo issue in its muzzle is being chased by a slavering mob. Among the pursuers are a dog with a Kalashnikov and a headband - a caricature of a jihadist - the Pope, the conservative former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy and the leader of the far-right Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen. "Here we go again!" is written on the front page. On 16 pages, the editorial team deals intensively with the attack in texts and cartoons. The desecration of a Jewish cemetery, the Greek financial situation and the flu epidemic in France are also topics in this issue.
Slower start to sales
It was last published on January 14, one week after the attack on its editorial offices that left twelve people dead. The so-called "survivors' edition" was published with a record circulation of eight million copies, unprecedented in French press history, and sold like hot cakes. Sales of the latest edition were somewhat slower, as newspaper vendors in Paris and other French cities reported on Wednesday morning. "After the violence we experienced, we wanted a more soothing front page," explained the head of Charlie Hebdo, whose pen name is Riss. He was injured in the shoulder in the attack by two jihadists who stormed into the editorial offices with Kalashnikovs and fired around. (SDA)
