Cartoonists worldwide pay tribute to Charlie Hebdo

Cartoonists and artists around the world responded with tributes to those killed in the Paris shooting at the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

Through satire and humour, the cartoons call upon the power of the pen and freedom of speech. Images from cartoonists yesterday were shared across social media platforms in support of those killed in the Charlie Hebdo shooting with the hashtags #JeSuisCharlie and #CharlieHebdo.

Charlie Hebdo's lead cartoonist Jean Cabut (76) who was killed in the attack, was a near legendary figure in France. Known as Cabu, he had been working as a satirical caricaturist since 1960 and was known for his wit and no holds-barred style. In 2006 he caused controversy by depicting Mohammed for a Charlie Hebdo cover in response to the Mohammed cartoon polemic involving Danish magazine Jyllands- Posten .

In a 2012 interview with L'edition du soir, he was quoted as saying "Sometimes laughter can hurt, but laughter, humour and mockery are our only weapons,"

Longtime Irish Times cartoonist Martyn Turner paid personal tribute to those killed in the shooting. Commending the skill and courage of Charlie Hebdo’s editorial team, he also talked about the long history of political satire in France:

“Charlie Hebdo fought extremism with laughter, satire and free speech. When I am in France, Charlie Hebdo is my weekly of choice. It is far livelier than Canard Enchaîné and far less intimidating than Sine Hebdo... In France they take satire very seriously. They are devoutly anti-clerical in the broadest sense and have been for a century or so. The fight for the freedom of the press was fought against the church and against the political classes in France long ago and was won.”