Paris terror attacks: 3m copies of Charlie Hebdo to be distributed on Wednesday

The distributors of the satirical magazine had originally planned to print 1 million of the magazines

Kashmira Gander
Monday 12 January 2015 21:16 GMT
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French citizens take part in a demonstration
French citizens take part in a demonstration

As many as three million copies of Charlie Hebdo will be available on newsstands on Wednesday, according to its editor-in-chief.

Gérard Biard told Radio Canada that 3 million copies of the satirical magazine will be printed in the wake of a tragic terror attack, which left 12 people dead: eight journalists, two police officers, a caretaker and a visitor.

The hefty boost in copies was confirmed by MLP, which distributes the magazine, AFP reported. Usually, the paper prints only 60,000 copies a week, and sells around 30,000.

Last week, MLP revealed initial plans to print one million copies of the first post-attack issue, which will feature cartoons of Mohamed according to the publication's lawyers.

During Wednesday's attack, the Kouachi brothers declared they were avenging the Prophet, after a series of controversial cartoons depicting him were published in previous issues of Charlie Hebdo.

In a show of solidarity following the tragedy, Radio France, Le Monde and France Televisions released a joint statement last week in which they offered to help the publication continue.

They also urged other media outlets to follow suit and offer their assistance.

Their statement read: "Faced with horror, the groups Radio France, Le Monde and France Televisions announce that Charlie Hedbo will be made available and its team will bring together all necessary means to ensure that Charlie Hebdo continues to live.

"The three groups invite the French media to mobilise this morning and come together to protect the principles of independence and freedom of thought and expression: guarantors of our democracy."

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