Cartoonists defend Charlie Hebdo: 'An aggressive drawing is no match for a bullet in the head'

Cartoonists from English newspapers have condemned the killings in Paris on Wednesday, arguing it is their job to challenge ideas and that "an aggressive drawing is no match for a bullet in the head."

In the wake of the shooting in Paris, which saw ten journalists and two police officers killed, both the public and the media have been quick to unite and condemn the attack, especially what it seemed to represent: a war on freedom of speech.

The gunmen targeted Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine known for pushing the boundaries of freedom of speech, never cowering from offending any individual, group or religion and its cartoonists were specifically targeted in an apparent militant Islamist attack at the magazine's offices.

On Thursday, The Independent used cartoonist Dave Brown's image as its front page, depicting a hand emerging from the cover of Charlie Hebdo, holding a pen and with its middle finger raised.

The Guardian's Steve Bell produced an image of Hebdo's four cartoonists tied to large pencils in a type of execution. However, the terrorist's gun has drooped and is useless, while the cartoonists are sticking their tongues out at the gunman.

"They insulted everybody," he said. "Government ministers at times had asked them to tone things down. I knew they'd very bravely continued to stick to their principles.

"There is no right not to be offended; it's what cartoonists do. We’re dealing with ideas: religions are ideas, political philosophies are ideas. It's a cartoonists job to challenge these things and to offend where necessary. Cartoons as the most immediate visual aspect: we're rather like the little boy in the story of 'The Emperor’s New Clothes.'"

"We're the ones that point and say, 'Look! He hasn't got any clothes on!' Somebody has to point out sometimes that this is a lot of nonsense... The cartoonist does that and makes everybody laugh. That's the one thing totalitarians, tyrants and despots of all types cant stand."

The Guardian's Steve Bell said freedom of speech is hard won and sometimes very hard to use, but Charlie Hebdo's cartoonists should be admired for taking it to limit.

"They weren't aggressive; their drawings might be taken as such, but an aggressive drawing is no match for a bullet in the head," he said.

He said that while cartoonists should not fear the consequences of what they draw, he added, "Nothing is as simple as that. None of us have the right to blurt anything in any context. You’re always being circumspect, freedom of speech is a difficult thing."

He referenced the time that he produced a cartoon for The Guardian that was not printed due to the newspaper's editors fearing they could be attacked.

"I've had this conversation with The Guardian over the years. There was one (drawing) I did and they didn't run it. It’s always awkward. They were quite frank; they said, 'If we did it, there's a risk we might get firebombed.' It was referencing one of the famous Danish cartoons with the turban and the fuse. It involved prince William and Kate and nakedness...I tried to get very taboo I could imagine into it."

"In a free and fair exchange of views with the editor, it was quite amicable. He said, 'Look, there's a real risk, if we do this, that one of our offices abroad might get firebombed. That's a real risk. People don't want to take that. I don't think they're abject and craven for doing that."