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French Twitter Users Say #JeSuisCharlie Isn’t For Everyone

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The identification of the French police officer shot at point blank range in Wednesday’s terrorist attack as a Muslim, Ahmed Merabet, has sparked an online conversation about the experiences of ethnic and religious minorities in France.

Echoing the #JeSuisCharlie (I am Charlie) hashtag which went viral Wednesday in a show of solidarity for the newspaper’s victims, the hashtag #JeSuisAhmed is now gathering momentum online. Several have used it to point out that a Muslim man died defending a newspaper’s right to free speech, even when it had a history of mocking his own religion.

A tweet by Arab political activist Dyab Abou Jahjah, below, was retweeted over 4,000 times within four hours on Thursday:

Others have joined the Twitter conversation through the #JeNeSuisPasCharlie (I am not Charlie) hashtag, arguing that Charlie Hebdo‘s cartoons are not to be condoned, despite Wednesday’s attacks. Many of them condemned the murders but criticized what they saw as the newspaper’s racism, sexism and Islamophobia.

At the same time, in a display of solidarity with Muslims in the aftermath of the attack, the French have started tweeting #voyageavecmoi (ride with me). Inspired by #illridewithyou,which began trending in Australia after a terrorist took hostages in a Sydney café in December, French social media users have begun tweeting their journey routes to help local Muslims feel safe from potential backlash following the attack.

https://twitter.com/HumaSSays/status/553190523708518400

https://twitter.com/GraemeByrne/status/553043237360123905

Front Pages React to Paris Terror Attack

Aftenposten, Norway
DeMorgen, Belgium
The Independent, United Kingdom
"France is bruised" / La Croix, France
Berria, Spain
The Times of London, United Kingdom
De Tijd, Belgium
"Liberty: 0 - Barbarism: 12" / L'Equipe, France
"We are all Charlie" / Libération, France
Berliner Kurier, Germany
L'Echo, France
Berlingske, Denmark
The National, Scotland
"No" / Sud Ouest, France
The International New York Times — Europe
La Tribune, France
Politiken, Denmark
"The Black Day" / La Provence, France

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Write to Naina Bajekal at naina.bajekal@time.com