Terror in Paris: drawing for peace

On January 7, when staff members of the satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" died in the horrific attack on their editing staff in Paris' 11th arrondissement, numerous colleagues expressed solidarity using imagery. Spreading like wildfire on the Internet, their drawings became symbols of resistance.

On Friday evening (13.11.2015) as well, shortly after the attacks on five sites in Paris and the Stade de France, artists uploaded sketches that were immediately shared by people all over the world. Probably the most famous comes from the pen of Jean Julien. Since emerging under hashtags such as #JeSuisParis or on Facebook, it has become omnipresent. People are putting it on their clothing, posting it on Facebook, printing it as a poster or holding it up in the air during anti-terror demonstrations.

The drawings express various feelings: solidarity, mourning and the will to resist. Under the hashtag #donotprayforparis, artists such as Joann Sfar, a resident of the city, express their wish not to let the events get one down.

Attack on French "savoir-vivre"

The attack sites on Friday evening were places where people get together to have fun and enjoy themselves. They were sitting in restaurants or bars - or listening to a concert at the Bataclan. "They didn't know somebody had declared war on them," wrote Johann Sfar under one of his drawings.