Charlie's difficult return

The title of a theater performance was changed because the word Jew was considered too provocative. The guest performance of a French-speaking Swiss troupe in Paris could not take place: for fear of the Islamists. A Muslim artist had to withdraw from an exhibition under pressure from the president of the municipality: her installation with women's shoes on prayer rugs was dangerous. At the end of February, Stéphane Grimaldi, the director of the World War Memorial in Caen, announced on Twitter that he would not be holding the "Rencontres internationales du dessin de presse".
 
In previous years, twenty to forty draftsmen, illustrators, cartoonists had participated in this meeting, which is held in partnership with the association "Cartooning for Peace". After the Copenhagen attacks, several of the invited participants from France and abroad had contacted Grimaldi quite worried. It would be irresponsible, he justified his cancellation, to put the students and visitors, guests and employees of the Memorial in danger. The Internet portal with the announcement was hacked several times by pirates posing as Tunisian Islamists.
 
The edition had reached a circulation of more than seven million after the attacks. Previously, "Charlie Hebdo" sold 22,000 copies every week, and in November the editorial team had called on readers to make donations. 2.5 million issues were delivered for the comeback at the end of February, and 200,000 were sent to new subscribers. In the meantime, demand has fallen by almost the same amount.
 
It was difficult for Riss, who had to replace the shot Charb as editor, to attract new cartoonists. The genre has suffered from the press crisis and is hardly cultivated by daily newspapers. "They asked if they had to attend editorial conferences or if they could publish under a pseudonym," Riss says, summing up his experience: "All of them who implore us to keep going at all costs leave us pretty much alone on the front lines."
 
The new issues are surprisingly good. However, the "irresponsible editorial team," as it calls itself in the masthead, has not yet found its way back to its old lust for provocation. In an editorial, Riss compares the situation of his paper to the bull in the arena: He is cheered and cheered - until he collapses dead. More threatening than the internal disputes over content is the newly flared-up dispute over money. In 2008, a solidarity issue with Muhammad cartoons had brought in a million; the two directors (300,000 euros each) practically divided it between themselves and two other shareholders; the chronically underpaid editors learned about it from "Le Monde."
 
More than ten million poured into the coffers in recent weeks. "They are a nightmare, they can kill us," fears Patrick Pelloux, who writes a column, "They arouse covetousness. " The new distribution of shares has not yet been made. Pelloux and the majority of employees want to form a cooperative. Like no other, Pelloux has protested against the abandonment of the cartoonists' meeting in Caen - with success: it is to take place again in October after all.  
 
Jürg Altwegg is correspondent of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Geneva.