Following the terror attack that left 12 dead at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the cover of next week’s New Yorker will feature a moving tribute to the tragic events: an illustration of Paris’s Eiffel Tower, the radio tower at the top replaced with the point of a red pencil, with a bloody haze at the building’s base.
Charlie Hebdo’s editor, Stéphane “Charb” Charbonnier, and cartoonists Jean “Cabu” Cabut, Bernard “Tignous” Verlhac, and Georges Wolinski were among the victims, but surviving staff has pledged to publish as usual next week . In the wake of the tragedy, an increased demand for back issues of the publication has sprung up.
The New Yorker cover, which was created by Ana Juan, is just one of many artistic shows of support for the victims of Wednesday’s attacks. Support on social media has been strong, and vigils have been held in honor of the dead).
The pencil, in particular, has become an important image of support for artistic freedom, and solidarity with the slain cartoonists.
Other media outlets have been criticized for self-censoring Charlie Hebdo‘s controversial depictions of the prophet Mohammed, including the AP, which has also removed a photograph of Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ from its website.
Earlier today, several of the suspects were involved in two separate armed hostage situations in Paris and just outside of the city. Three suspects are believed to be dead.