Remembering The Victims Of The Charlie Hebdo Massacre And The Work They Did

He had been instrumental in a series of defiant campaigns that divided public opinion: Some saw them as powerful stands for free speech, and others as needless provocations.

He oversaw the publication of a spoof issue in 2011, advertised as guest-edited by the Prophet Muhammad, which led to the paper’s offices being firebombed.

In 2012, Mr. Charbonnier defied the advice of the French government and published crude caricatures of Muhammad, shown naked and in sexual poses.

Mr. Charbonnier, who had appeared on a list of Al Qaeda’s targets, was under police protection, though he told the French daily Le Monde that as a single man he did not fear retaliation, and that however pompous it might sound, he would rather “die standing than live on my knees."

When the French prime minister in 2012, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said that the government would block a series of protests planned by Muslims, Mr. Charbonnier defied that, too. “Why should they prohibit these people from expressing themselves?” he said at the time. “We have the right to express ourselves, they have the right to express themselves, too.”

nytimes.com

Cabu was a veteran of several French newspapers and reportedly the highest paid cartoonist in the world. He studied art at Paris’ École Estienne in Paris before a local newspaper published his drawings in 1954, starting his long career.

Even while fighting as a conscript in the Algerian War, he reportedly kept drawing for the army magazine Bled and in Paris-Match. After two years in the army he was allowed to leave and became one of the founders of Hara-Kiri magazine, which evolved into Charlie Hebdo.

His career took off in the 1970s and '80s, when he worked on a famous French children’s television programme as well as having his drawings published in Charlie Hebdo another French satirical paper, Le Canard enchaîné.

Cabu is particularly famed for his character Mon Beauf, whose caricature was so popular that the name slipped into popular use to describe a racist, sexist or vulgar Frenchman. He was the artist behind the February 2006 cartoon that appeared on Charlie Hebdo’s cover depicting the Prophet Mohamed.

independent.co.uk

Cabut drew one of Charlie Hebdo's most controversial cover images of the Prophet Mohammed, according to the Telegraph. The cartoon depicted Mohammed saying, "It's hard to be loved by idiots," under the caption "Mohammed overwhelmed by fundamentalists."

vox.com

Michel Renaud, creator of Carnet de voyage, a travel journal, was at the offices of Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday to work on an upcoming project.

He was a friend of Jean Cabut, the cartoonist, who was guest of honor in the latest edition. One of Renaud's colleagues reportedly survived the attack by hiding under a table. Renaud was killed in the attack, according to a Paris prosecutor.

mashable.com

Wolinski was born in Tunis, Tunisia, according to the Jewish Daily Forward. His father died when Wolinski was very young, and he said, “The ghost of my father has haunted me all my life,” according to an excerpt from his wife’s memoir Georges, si tu savais (George, if you only knew).

buzzfeed.com

Wolinski once said that a humorist doesn't belong to any political party or religion. Asked about his own eventual death, Wolinski replied, "I want to be cremated. I said to my wife, you throw the ashes in the toilet so I see your ass every day."

He also joked that he would like his grave to bear the following words by his friend and Charlie Hebdo founder Cavanna: “People think Wolinski is a fool because he behaves like a fool, but the truth is he really is a fool."

mashable.com

This is the last cartoon Wolinski drew for Paris Match. The drawing will appear on newsstands Thursday morning. The cartoon pokes fun at President Francois Hollande. It makes fake wishes for the new year while making fun of the president’s love life and the economic crisis is. The last line says, “Am I on the right track? I’ll only know it in the end…”

buzzfeed.com

Ecuadorian cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, 50, said he got to know Verlhac during seminars with Cartooning for Peace, an international initiative created to promote tolerance through illustration.

"Tignous was great at humor and had an easy manner about himself," said Bonilla. "He strongly believed in freedom of the press, something that becomes evident when you see his cartoons. He was a man who enjoyed freedom to its fullest in his artistic creativity and published his cartoons without fear."

Bonilla recalled a reception he once attended with Verlhac at the French Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.

"He asked about 10 women to pose for him seated on a sofa," he said. "Tignous took his time making a drawing of all of them posing. When he finally showed them the drawing, they were not very pleased because it was a cartoon that didn't really make them look beautiful. He simply told them, 'I drew them just like you look and that's how I see you.' Then he laughed out loud. This was the kind of dark humor that was also evident in his cartoons. He was great at that. He was a great artist."

He once said of his membership: “I would love to think that every time I make a drawing it prevents a kidnapping, a murder, or removes a land mine. What joy it would be! If I had that power I would stop sleeping and would make drawings non-stop.”

mashable.com

The upcoming edition of Marianne, a French magazine that often featured the slain artist, will feature an unusually poignant Tignous original on its cover. The drawing depicts the hand of God reaching down to stop an Islamic militant with the warning, “Allah is big enough to defend Mohammed all by himself … understand?”

nationalpost.com

Maris was a famous left-wing economist who wrote about finance and economics. He was an editor at Charlie Hebdo and a member of the Bank of France’s General Council.

“This is a barbaric attack on the freedom of the press,” Bank of France governor Christian Noyer said in as statement according to NBC News. “Bernard Maris was a cultured, kind and very tolerant man. He will be much missed.”

He is from Toulouse, a southwestern region of France, and received his PhD from the University of Toulouse. He is also the author of L’Enfant qui voulait etre muet (The boy who wanted to be silent).

“I am heartbroken to have lost a friend made of respect, erudition and kindness,” Eric Le Boucher wrote for Slate France. “By killing him, his murderers wanted to kill respect, erudition, and kindness.”

buzzfeed.com

A recipient of France’s Legion of Honor—along with fellow attack victim Georges Wolinski—Mr. Maris was a Charlie Hebdo shareholder who helped resurrect the magazine into its modern incarnation and frequently appeared on French T.V. as a figure of leftist economic thought.

He was critical of globalization, skeptical of the E.U., an opponent of austerity and once ran as a candidate for the French Green Party.

“Oncle Bernard believes in nothing: Not God, not the Devil, not capitalism, not unions,” read a 1990s review of the column. “It’s scatological, vulgar, sometimes unjust, often irritating, but never wrong.”

nationalpost.com

The talented cartoonist had his first cartoon published at 16 years old, according to French newspaper Le Monde.

Honoré was the artist behind the last cartoon posted by Charlie Hebdo on Twitter before the carnage. It mocked Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

mashable.com

He drew the last cartoon tweeted by the magazine before Wednesday's attack. The cartoon shows Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, with the caption, "Best wishes to al-Baghdadi as well." The leader of ISIS responds, "And especially to good health!"

vox.com

Cayat, an author, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, wrote essays for Charlie Hebdo twice a month, according the French publication, Libertation.

buzzfeed.com

Ourrad was born in Algeria yet moved to France when he was 20 years old and made a career for himself in publishing, according the Le Monde.

mashable.com

The 42-year-old and father-of-two was killed by the gunmen at the office building of Charlie Hebdo where he is the maintenance worker for the building. 20Minutes.fr reported Boisseau was shot after the armed assailants asked for the exact location of the editorial team.

vox.com

The two gunman first wounded Mr. Merabet from a distance, and then shot him at point blank range as he lay dying on the sidewalk. From video of the scene, his last words were reportedly “nan c’est bon chef!” [“naw, I’m good, man!”], a plea interpreted as meaning that he was too injured to continue the chase and that they did not need to kill him.

nationalpost.com

Tributes to Ahmed Merabet poured in on Thursday after images of his murder at point blank range by a Kalashnikov-wielding masked terrorist circulated around the world.

Merabet, who according to officials was 40, was called to the scene while on patrol with a female colleague in the neighbourhood, just in time to see the black Citroën used by the two killers heading towards the boulevard from Charlie Hebdo.

“He was on foot, and came nose to nose with the terrorists. He pulled out his weapon. It was his job, it was his duty,” said Rocco Contento, a colleague who was a union representative at the central police station for Paris’s 11th arrondissement.

theguardian.com

French media say he was a member of the special protection service (SPHP) assigned to Stéphane Charbonnier. Colleagues told Le Figaro he leaves behind a young daughter.

mashable.com