Anti–'Charlie Hebdo' Rally Draws 5,000 in Pakistan

By Jack Linshi

January 18, 2015

Around 5,000 people gathered in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday for the latest rally against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo‘s depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.

Protesters held posters that read, “This is not freedom of expression, it is open aggression against Islam,” while a terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is linked to attacks in India, encouraged a boycott of French products, Reuters reported.

Pakistanis Protest Charlie Hebdo Cover

Supporters of banned Islamic charity Jamat-ud-Dawa protest controversial French magazine Charlie Hebdo's decision to publish a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in Peshawar, Pakistan on Jan. 16, 2015.

Arshad Arbab—EPA

Policemen guard a road leading to the U.S. consulate during a protest against satirical French weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad as the cover of its first edition since an attack by Islamist gunmen, in Lahore, Pakistan on Jan. 15, 2015.

Mohsin Raza—Reuters

Supporters of a Pakistani religious group rally to protest against caricatures published in the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, in Lahore, Pakistan on Jan. 15, 2015.

K.M. Chaudary—AP

Pakistani activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami religious party throw stones toward riot police during a protest against the printing of satirical sketches of the Prophet Muhammad by French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Karachi, Pakistan on Jan.16, 2015.

Asif Hassan—AFP/Getty Images

A policeman uses his gun to disperse protesters during a protest against satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad as the cover of its first edition since an attack by Islamist gunmen, in Karachi, Pakistan on Jan. 16, 2015.

Akhtar Soomro—Reuters

A supporter of Pakistani religious group Jamaat-i-Islami tries to escape a water canon during a protest against caricatures published in the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, near the French Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan on Jan. 16, 2015.

Shakil Adil—AP

Pakistani journalists help a colleague who was injured in clashes between police and the supporters of Islamic political party Jamat-e-Islami during a protest against the French magzine 'Charlie Hebdo' for publishing the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, in Karachi, Pakistan on Jan. 16, 2015.

Rehan Khan—EPA

Pakistani protesters burn a French flag during a protest against the printing of satirical sketches of the Prophet Muhammad by French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Peshawar, Pakistan on Jan. 16, 2015.

A. Majeed—AFP/Getty Images

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Charlie Hebdo published a cover image last week of the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign reading “Je Suis Charlie,” after a brutal attack by gunmen who ambushed the newspaper’s offices and killed 12 people. The attack was linked to the magazine’s critiques of Islam, for which it had drawn controversy in the past.

Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain had previously called on Charlie Hebdo to issue an apology for its “insulting the faith of others,” as protesters demonstrated in Karachi last week, according to Bloomberg. Anti–Charlie Hebdo riots have also taken place in Turkey and the Philippines. Pope Francis has also expressed his disapproval of mocking religions, but condemned the brutal attacks.

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