Charlie Hebdo defiantly tests limits of free speech as terror trial begins

The decision to republish the inflammatory cartoons that prompted the 2015 attacks on the opening day of court proceedings has reignited old debates, writes Anthony Cuthbertson

A mural near the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris depicts staff who were killed in the January 2015 attacks (AFP/Getty)

On Wednesday morning, as 14 people accused of orchestrating the deadly terrorist attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo prepared to stand trial, the top trending term on Twitter in France was #JeNeSuisPasCharlie.

The hashtag was a direct contradiction of the slogan “Je suis Charlie” – I am Charlie – which had trended worldwide in the wake of the 2015 attacks in solidarity with victims and the publication.

The apparent reason to defy such sentiment at such a sensitive time was the magazine’s controversial decision to republish a series of inflammatory cartoons ahead of the trial that had provoked the attacks five years ago.