The attacks on journalists and others at Charlie Hebdo have quite rightly attracted a great deal of attention. But Charlie Hebdo can be outrageously provocative. See below this ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting which Charlie Hebdo published in its last edition of 2014.
It says:
Shit in the creches
Finish off the handicapped
Shoot all military personnel
Strangle the priests
Make mincemeat of the cops
Burn down the banks.
I say no more! John Menadue
John Menadue is the Founder of Pearls and Irritations and a board member. He was formerly the Editor-in-Chief. John was the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.
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One response to “John Menadue. Freedom of speech and Charlie Hebdo”
It is probably intended to be even more provocative than you suggest. It can be read as ‘shit in the Nativity Scenes’. A creche can be a model of the manger with Joseph and Mary with some straw around them. These are very popular in the south of France where the painted clay model figures are common. The line can have a cruder meaning, namely ‘defile the Christmas scene’. It gives you an idea of what Charlie Hebdo is really like. Peter Hambly