Charlie Hebdo editor says Mohammed cartoons ‘defend the freedom of religion’

Furthermore, Biard said “we must stop declaring that those who write and draw are ‘provocateurs,’ and are throwing gas on the fire. We must not place thinkers and artists in the same category as murderers.”

A co-founder of the magazine, Henri Roussel, recently said that he thought the magazine went too far by publishing Mohammed cartoons even after the Paris office was firebombed in 2011. Biard did not respond directly, but indicated that he disagreed.

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