Charlie

Why I am not Charlie

Since the tragic shootings in Paris revolving around comics published by the French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo, many people on the Internet have tried to show solidarity with the victims and their families by prominently making posts with the hashtag “#jesuischarlie” — in English, “I am Charlie.” While I sympathise with the sentiments expressed by these people and I feel terrible for the victims and their families, I’m afraid I cannot, in good conscience, use this hashtag. The fact is that I, Benjamin Buckley, am not Charlie. I have verified this by a brief glance at my birth certificate: my…

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