‘Je suis Charlie’. We’re sure that, if someone would ask ‘what’s that?’, he or she must have been on Mars or something.

This Sunday, the 11th of January 2015, (silent) mass demonstrations were organized all over France to express shock of what happened last Wednesday and to emphasize the priceless value of tolerance and the freedom of speech.

Roanne was no exception and we thought it was appropriate to express our solidarity with the French nation and the general idea behind the demonstration.

This cartoon puts the finger exactly on the issue. When there’s no consideration and tolerance there will always someone stand up to tell us he/she ‘owns’ the indisputable truth.

The demonstration started at 10AM. People came from all corners to participate, soon creating an impressive crowd.

Some of the participants had been creative like these women with large pencils and several copies of Charlie Hebdo on an accessorized broomstick.

It’s a bit of a picture puzzle but here’s a woman that has found a combination of making a point and looking attractive by it at the same time. The man left of her uses the occasion to change a feather for a pencil.

Yes indeed, and let’s hope it’ll never change – or we can no longer be considered ‘homo sapiens’.

Not much later than 10AM the crowd slowly and disciplined compressed itself into the narrower street, leading to the square in front of the town hall, the latter being the end of the walk.

This picture gives a good impression of the crowd on its way to the town hall.

Even the famous Albert Uderzo (1927) came back from retirement to express his thoughts about the events on the 7th of January in Paris.

After arriving at the square in front of the town hall there was singing and speaking – finalized by the national anthem ‘La Marseillaise’.

‘Hommage aux victimes’. A dozen flags at half-mast or rather: tied up as a sign of the nation’s grief.

Hopefully France, symbolized by innocent Marianne, and the rest of the world, will eventually be able to find a way of living in harmony. Will we live to see it?

The names of the 12 victims of this brutal attack. In the wake of it there were even several more… Utterly senseless and not leading to anything desirable. It’s hard to see if there is some sign of reconciliation at present which is a major problem for the world society and its leading politicians. Where will it all end?