12 dead over cartoon.

Magazine Charlie Hebdo has become a byword for offensive statements in France after taking several highly provocative swipes at Islam.

The magazine once named Prophet Mohammed as its guest editor, published cartoons of the holy figure in the nude, and once renamed itself Sharia Hebdo with the cover slogan '100 lashes if you don't die of laughter'.

The controversy began in 2006 when the publication reprinted now-infamous cartoons of Prophet Mohammed by Danish artist Kurt Westergaard.

When the images originally appeared they lead to days of protests across the Middle East and in Western cities. The decision to reprint the images landed the then-editor in court under anti-terror laws, though he was later acquitted.

The Hebdo offices were burned to the ground in 2011 when attackers used Molotov cocktails to start a blaze early in the morning of November 2.

There was nobody in the building at the time, and the target was instead thought to be the magazine's computer system, which was completely destroyed.

Riot police were forced to stand guard outside the building for days following the attack, as the editors took a defiant stance, choosing to reprint the cartoon images multiple times.

In 2012 they again printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as a deliberately provocative gesture while violent protests were taking place across the Middle East.

The following year the magazine's office again had to be surrounded by riot officers after they published a cartoon booklet depicting the Prohpet naked as a baby and being pushed in a wheelchair.

On the final page of the booklet there was a note from the editor, Stephane Charbonnier, saying the images were 'halal' because Muslims had worked on them, and that they were factually accurate as they had been derived from descriptions in the Koran.

Je Suis Charlie !

You just knew Ozymandius would blame the magazine.

You should all know by now that the religion of peace reaction is always violent,its how they have kowtowed Europe.
Pym Fonteyn murdered on the streets of Amsterdam for being a politician who wanted to restrict immigration.
Theo Van Gogh another murdered on the streets of Amsterdam for making a film.

Lee Rigby butchered on the streets of London for being a soldier.

By constantly giving in to these barbarians you are giving them succour,convincing them violence works.

France has always been craven and cowardly,useless army,useless police force so naturally the murderers have evaded capture so far.

I am not blaming the magazine, I am merely giving context to the story.

The reaction of my Islamic friends is one of shock and embarrassment. I can empathise, as an Irish man who lived in London during some of of the Troubles.  There were times, in the immediate aftermath of London atrocities, when you couldn't face your colleagues.  The only solace was that the intelligent ones would differentiate between you and the scum responsible.  And so must we, today.

Moderate Muslim is an oxymoron.

The only moderate Muslims are lapsed ones.
Any desultory study of Islam will show you a religion who wants to kill all non believers.

It has always amazed me that the liberals who hate God and religion have this soft spot for Islam.

Liberals are so full of self loathing they cannot bear anyone condemning the religion of peace.

These people despise their own history and culture and naturally promote other inferior cultures.

Whether you label them 'lapsed' or 'moderate', the simple fact is that this is nothing to do with the vast vast majority of honest, decent, Muslims and they are hugely shamed and embarrassed by it. They must do more to communicate this to the world.

You did try and defend it,"taking several highly provocative swipes at islam", 13.35, you are in fact saying with that the publication has something to answer(no mention of its other satirical views)
"And people still wonder why betfair censor these pages" 13.29, the answer to that is you.
You are right,it is indefensible and a marked change of stance from you now.

My first response was not directed at this thread but rather posts on a similar subject that Betfair have chosen to censor in the past.  We could be looking at Betfair Towers today on the news, if not for their better judgement on forum content.

What you describe as 'appeasment', is 100% factual background to today's events.  We know you are allergic to any usage of fact, that might explain your displeasure at what is mere background.  Noting more.  Any interpretation of said facts is the readers and theirs alone.

I wont be posting again on this thread in order to avoid a predictable, repeditive, circular debate.  Our positions are well established at this stage.

RIP to today's victims.  Let us not become a Monster in order to defeat a Monster.

you are in fact saying with that the publication has something to answer

No Pa, that is your false interpetation of what you have read.  Which is merely a copy and paste job of background on the story.

And that really is my last post on this thread!

It was an attempt to give an islamic side of the story by yourself.

* reader

Good man Ozy, how many last posts are you going to give on this thread?
You have resorted to an all time low with your comments today.

I have a feeling the  Ozymandius threat will work.

The spread is 5.30.

Interesting post by Burton-Brewers at 16.23 on Chit Chat forum thread.
It would be a shame if the barbaric atrocity that happened today was, despite being asked for, "censored"

Still not caught, are they after them on push bikes ffs

I know where you're coming from R.A., and there are lots of unscrupulous, evil people in the World but, as Edmund Burke once said, "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".

wonky.....ffs stay off threads like this.....an inter cert would be a minimum requirement for participation.....