On January 7th, 2015 twelve people were killed when two masked gunmen broke into the headquarters of the French Newspaper, Charlie Hebdo.

Charlie Hebdo, or “Weekly Charlie,” is a newspaper featuring cartoons, reports, and jokes whose main offices are located in Paris, France.

The newspaper printed a number of controversial, political articles. One in particular pictured Muhammed saying, “it’s hard to only be loved by jerks.”

Islamic extremists took this, and several other cartoons like it, as a grave offense towards Muhammed. In response they attacked the central office of Charlie Hebdo while chanting, “Allahu Akbar,” or, in English, “God is great.” In the attack twelve reporters were shot and killed.

The shooting generated worldwide awareness for problems like the lack of freedom of speech and expression in some countries and cultures. The phrase Je Suis Charlie (I am Charlie) is a slogan adopted by supporters of these issues. This expression has been used in songs, TV shows, and on Social Media.

Sadly, on January 8th another gunman shot and killed a woman just South of Paris. The next day, a man entered a Kosher market in Paris and killed four people and took several hostages. Police were able to storm the market and rescue near fifteen hostages. Press sources say that these events were both linked to the Charlie Hebdo shooting.