The magazine cover is defiant, in-your-face and a notice to terrorists everywhere.
“They got the weapons — Screw them, we got the Champagne!” says Charlie Hebdo’s latest issue, which hits newsstands Wednesday.
A cartoon shows a man gleefully drinking Champagne as it pours out of holes in his body.
Staff and others at the satirical weekly publication were attacked in January by gunmen who were apparently outraged by Hebdo’s portrayal of the Muslim prophet Muhammed in cartoons. Twelve people were killed, including several cartoonists beloved for their artistry.
In the wake of Friday’s assaults on numerous locations in Paris for which the Islamic extremist group ISIS has taken credit, Charlie Hebdo is demonstrating that it has no plans to back down and stands fully for France and French culture.
The magazine began publishing in 1970 with the goal of satirizing religion, politics, and other topics.
Even after the bloodbath at its Paris office in January, it kept publishing. The edition that came out in the days after the attack at the magazine featured a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed on the cover, holding a sign that says “Je suis Charlie,” the phrase that caught fire on social media around the world. It means “I am Charlie,” a sympathetic expression of sadness and support for those who were killed and against the terrorists who seek to enforce a brutal interpretation of Islam.