Je suis Charlie

"Je suis Charlie" (French pronunciation: ​[ʒə sɥi ʃaʁ.li], French for "I am Charlie") is a slogan adopted by supporters of free speech and freedom of expression after the 7 January 2015 massacre in which 12 people were killed at the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France. It identifies a speaker or supporter with those who were killed at the Charlie Hebdo shooting, and by extension, a supporter of freedom of speech and resistance to armed threats. Some journalists embraced the expression as a rallying cry for the freedom of self-expression.

The slogan was first used on Twitter and spread to the Internet at large. The website of Charlie Hebdowent offline shortly after the shooting, and when it returned it bore the legend Je suis Charlie on a black background. The statement was used as the hashtag #jesuischarlie and #iamcharlie on Twitter, as computer printed or hand-made placards and stickers, and displayed on mobile phones at vigils, and on many websites, particularly media sites.

Within two days of the attack, the slogan had become one of the most popular hashtags in Twitter history. Je suis Charlie was embraced worldwide, was used in music, displayed in print and animated cartoons (including The Simpsons), and became the new name of a town square in France.