The path of a shadowalker

This blog is (mostly) in French and (somewhat) about French stuff. I'm much more active on my second blog, see @everythingthatsgoingon

[imashadowalker]

Cabu

Wolinski

Charb

Tignous

Honoré

Bernard Maris

Elsa Cayat

Franck Brinsolaro

Ahmed Merabet

Frédéric Boisseau

Michel Renaud

Mustapha Ourrad

Clarissa Jean-Philippe

Yoav Hattab

Yohan Cohen

Philippe Braham

François-Michel Saada

2015-2025

Nous nous souvenons. / We remember.

Nous sommes toujours Charlie.

[imashadowalker]

Je me suis essayée à la fabrication de papier recyclé, plutôt fière du résultat.

I've tried out making recycled paper, rather proud of the result.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

France marks 10 years since the Charlie Hebdo attacks

France on Tuesday marked 10 years since the terrorist shooting that targeted satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. President Emmanuel Macron and P

By: France 24

Published: Jan 7, 2025

France on Tuesday marked 10 years since the terrorist shooting that targeted satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo led commemorations at the newspaper's former offices, where two al Qaeda-linked gunmen killed a dozen people in January 2015.  

France marked on Tuesday 10 years since an Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper that shocked the country and led to fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion.

President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo led commemorations at the site of the weekly's former offices, which were stormed by two masked al Qaeda-linked gunmen with AK-47 assault rifles.

Macron and Hidalgo also remembered Ahmed Merabet, a Muslim police officer guarding the offices who was executed at point-blank range as he begged for his life in one of the most shocking images recorded of the tragedy.

Twelve people died in the attacks, including eight editorial staff, while a separate but linked hostage-taking at a Jewish supermarket in eastern Paris by a third gunman on January 9, 2015, claimed another four lives.

The bloodshed signalled the start of a dark period for France during which extremists inspired by al Qaeda and the Islamic State group repeatedly mounted attacks that set the country on edge and raised religious tensions.

"Today is not necessarily sad," Frederica Wolinksi, the daughter of famed French cartoonist and Charlie Hebdo contributor Georges Wolinski said. "It's good that 10 years later we can still remember those who died on 7 January so well."

A retrospective of Wolinski's work went on display at a Paris gallery at the end of last year in one of several media events, from new books to documentaries, to commemorate the anniversary.

Charlie Hebdo has published a special edition to mark the 10-year anniversary that features a front-page cartoon with the caption "Indestructible!"

In a typically provocative move, the militantly atheist publication also organised a God-themed cartoon contest that invited submissions of the "funniest and meanest" caricatures of religious figures.

"Satire has a virtue that has enabled us to get through these tragic years: optimism," said an editorial by its director Laurent Sourisseau, known as "Riss", who survived the 2015 massacre.

"If you want to laugh, it means you want to live."

The attack on the newspaper by two Paris-born brothers of Algerian descent was said to be revenge for its decision to publish caricatures lampooning the Prophet Mohammed, Islam's most revered figure.

'Je suis Charlie'

The killings fuelled an outpouring of sympathy in France expressed in a wave of "Je Suis Charlie" ("I Am Charlie") solidarity, with many protestors brandishing pencils and pens and vowing not to be intimidated by religious fanatics.

[ Francois Hollande, then president, led a solidarity march in Paris joined by 40 other world leaders days after the 2015 attack. ]

Days after the attack France's then-president François Hollande led a solidarity march in Paris joined by 40 world leaders and millions of protestors in support of free speech.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, speaking on RTL Tuesday, acknowledged how far France has come, while warning of the persistent dangers.

“France has rearmed considerably, but the threat is still there,” he said, pointing to both external dangers and the rise of homegrown radicalisation.

“The nature of the threat has changed,” Retailleau added. “It is now primarily endogenous – young individuals radicalised through social media. Last year alone, our services foiled nine attacks, the highest number since 2017.”

The impact of the attacks continued to reverberate beyond France.

On the 10-year anniversary, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany "shares the pain of our French friends".

The "barbaric attack ... targeted our common values of liberty and democracy – which we will never accept", Scholz said in a post in French on X.

Cartoons and controversy

The 10-year anniversary of the killings has lead to fresh introspection in France about the nature of press freedom and the ability of publications such as Charlie Hebdo to blaspheme and ridicule religious figures, particularly Islamic ones.

"Are we all still Charlie?" public broadcaster France 2 will ask in a special debate programme on Tuesday evening, with all major media organisations marking the event in some way.

Left-leaning daily Le Monde said the shock of the killings was comparable to that felt in the United States after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the country.

"How can we not deplore that the 'I am Charlie' has given way to a certain relativism with regards to freedom of expression and blasphemy, in particular among young generations?" it said.

Critics of Charlie Hebdo, foreign and domestic, are often puzzled by its crude humour and deliberately provocative cartoons that regularly incite controversy.

It has been accused of crossing the line into Islamophobia – which it denies – while its decision to repeatedly publish cartoons of Mohammed was seen by some as driving a wedge between the white French population and the country's large Muslim minority.

But a survey carried out by polling group Ifop and published in this week's Charlie Hebdo indicated widespread public support among French people for the freedom of expression to override concern for religious sensibilities.

A total of 76 percent of respondents believed freedom of expression and the freedom to caricature were fundamental rights, and 62 percent thought people had the right to mock religious beliefs.

--

France's Charlie Hebdo unveils special edition marking 10 years since deadly attack

France's Charlie Hebdo newspaper on Monday revealed a special edition to mark 10 years since the shooting that killed 12 of its staff. In Ja

[ "Indestructible!" ]

"If you want to laugh, it means you want to live. Laughing, irony, and caricatures are manifestations of optimism. Whatever happens, dramatic or happy, the desire to laugh will never cease." -- Charlie Hebdo director Riss

[imashadowalker]

Tag découvert hier, à Lyon, Montée des Chazeaux.

Celui qui est allé écrire ce tag a d'ailleurs dû faire preuve de qualités marchombre, car ce mur est le long d'une pente escarpée - les passants prennent l'escalier de l'autre côté.

On voit à droite, après la végétation, le tag rouge qu'on retrouve dans le coin de la première image.

Bonjour au marchombre lyonnais qui est allé déposer sa marque !

[imashadowalker]

Pensée du week-end confirmée par la cérémonie de clôture de ce soir : s'il y a un gars qui serait assuré de gagner la présidentielle 2027, c'est Tony Estanguet.

Si je n'ai aucune idée de ce qu'il vaut en politique, il a au moins le charisme pour !

[variouspolltournaments]

Dragon Characters Tournament 1-53

Penelope (Barbie as Rapunzel)

Elder Dragon Greyoll (Elden Ring)

The Dragon (Ewilan’s Quest)

Miao Ying (Warhammer Fantasy)

Voting ended onAug 29, 2024

Propaganda

Elder Dragon Greyoll: Absolutly humongous, aproximately 182 meters long. She is the mother of all drakes and i feel bad for her. She is just lying immobile surrounded by her children, on ground that is infeceted with scarlet rot. Also she often gets killed for farming

[imashadowalker]

Alright Gwendalavir fandom! Let's not kid ourselves, the character from a French series has little chances of winning in an tournament held in English, but let's give The Dragon as many votes as we can!

I hope you won't mind me calling you for help relaying this : @aljeitfael @fuckyeahgwendalavir @wolfsnape @pierrebotteroimac-blog @wondermadeleine @maddiesbookshelves @camilieroart @nexelart @logarithmicpanda et @ombrekaleidoscope

[imashadowalker]

As I start writing this, I still feel the ghost ache of eyes red from crying.

Tonight, France Télévision - the public television company providing some of France's main TV channels - is diffusing, prior to the start of the Paralympic Games in a week, a documentary entitled "À Corps Perdus". This documentary is available as of this morning on the group's online platform. I finished watching this documentary about 20 minutes ago.

I do not cry often. A big part of it is that I've been fortunate enough to live a peaceful, mostly strife-free life. That being said, one of the things that can get me to cry is emotional, impactful writing or cinema.

I cried, watching this documentary, overwhelmed with emotions I'm not sure if I can make sense of. What overwhelmed me, I think, was the sheer beauty of humanity being displayed.

I do not believe in Gods. I've heard that everyone believes in something, that people need something to believe in. I've never really taken the time to think and figure out what, exactly, I do or do not believe in, but I've long had an instinctual answer to the question "what do you believe in?" : humanity. This undefinable quality of humankind that makes us capable of the worst of violences, but most importantly of the best of kindnesses, of the most incredible achievements.

Nothing awes me like the good people are capable of. "Good" seems like too weak a word to express the greatness of what humanity can bring about, but it is the right one. Seeing people come together, keeping a light glowing in the darkest of times, fighting cruelty with the most selfless kindness, claiming triumph over horrors thanks to the dedication of dozens, hundreds, thousands of individuals.

Nothing captures my attention and emotions like a human story.

Nothing overwhelms me like humanity.

I want to give many thanks to everyone who took part in the creation of this documentary, which I hope will play a key role in getting French people excited for the upcoming Games.

To all of the athletes out there taking part in the Paralympic Games in Paris or in future editions, I wish the best of luck, the greatest experience and the most wonderful emotions.

To Oksana Masters (US / Ukraine), Alexis Hanquinquant (France), Anne-Sophie Centis (France), Cédric Nankin (France), Gabriel Araújo (Brasil) and Zakia Khudadadi (Afghanistan / France) : my best wishes to all of you for these Paralympic Games.

Alexis, Anne-Sophie, Cédric, je vous souhaite la plus belle réussite sous les yeux de vos familles et de vos amis, avec le soutien indéfectible du public et de tout le peuple français.

Gabriel, I hope you get to take that photo under the Eiffel Tower.

Oksana, I hope you and your mother have the most wonderful time in Paris.

Zakia, je vous souhaite d'avoir tout le soutien du peuple français derrière vous ; que dans les tribunes du Grand Palais, des dizaines, des centaines de français scandent votre nom ; que puisque, concourant avec l'équipe paralympique des réfugiés, vous ne pourrez pas l'entendre depuis la plus haute marche du podium, le public chante pour vous La Marseillaise à chacun de vos matchs. Je vous souhaite, si vous le désirez également, de participer aux Jeux Paralympique de Los Angeles 2028 sous le drapeau français ; ou, peut être, si l'Histoire vous le permet, sous le drapeau afghan.

À tous ceux qui ont accès aux chaînes de France Télévision, je vous invite à regarder le documentaire À Corps Perdus, disponible en ligne, en replay, et diffusé ce soir (mardi 20 août) à 21h10 sur France 2.

À tous mes concitoyens français, je vous encourage à montrer le même engouement pour les Jeux Paralympiques que vous l'avez fait pour les Jeux Olympiques, à commencer par le relais de la flamme qui commencera ce samedi 24 août et traversera de nombreuses villes. J'appelle en particulier les Parisiens à venir nombreux encourager les athlètes lors des épreuves en pleine ville (triathlon, vélo sur route, etc.).

To everyone around the world, I call onto you to watch the Paralympic Games, which will start on August 28th with the opening ceremony, as much as you are able - even if it is just 30 minutes in total over the 2 week long event. Let us give this event the attention it deserves.

To my fellow French citizens, to our close neighbours from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain - as well as Monaco and Andorra - and to all around the world who are able, I invite you to buy your ticket and come to Paris to cheer on the athletes and witness this event in person.

Many of us, and I am among this group, are or will be busy going back to school or work after summer vacation, giving us less time to pay attention to the Games as we had in August. Let us, to the best of our capacity, support the athletes by paying as much attention to their performances as we are able.

Aux français qui ont célébré les Jeux Olympiques avec d'autant plus d'enthousiasme que nous avons besoin, aujourd'hui, de raisons de célébrer et de nous rassembler, de ressentir notre appartenance à une seule et unique nation, faisons de ces Jeux Paralympiques les plus beaux de l'Histoire.

[imashadowalker]

Petit rappel du jour : les élections européennes auront lieu le 9 juin ! Pensez à faire une demande de procuration si besoin !

[imashadowalker]

🕯️Joyeuse Fête des Lumières à tous les Lyonnais ! 🕯️

[cyreneduvent]

Universities should have swing sets

[imashadowalker]

Fuck. Fuck.

Again. AGAIN.

On Friday October 16th, 2020, history and geography teacher Samuel Party, who taught in the suburbs of Paris, was assassinated by a radical islamist.

Today, on Friday October 13th, 2023, a professor was killed in the northern city of Arras in France. His name was Dominique Bernard, he was a French teacher. The profile of his killer is oddly similar to Samuel Paty's murderer. The main difference is that this French teacher was not specifically targeted. However, it seems the attacker actually was looking for a history and geography teacher (according to an interview on BFMTV related in an article of The Guardian).

Even without the similarities that are probably not completely coincidental, the timing of the attack is just... God. 3 years, nearly to the day. Some say it might also be linked to the current situation in Israel-Palestine, and while I have a hard time seeing a direct link, I can't deny it may have been a spark. (Some part of me can't help but wonder if there is also a linked with Friday November 13th, 2015.)

I just... Fuck. Samuel Paty's assassination affected me in the way that the previous islamist terrorist attacks in France (including those of 2015) just didn't. Part of it was probably because I was older and I actually let myself be affected instead of protecting myself by being emotionally distant. But the main reason is that I couldn't help thinking of the history teacher that I had when the 2015 attacks happened. I was thinking of all of my teachers, especially those I had admired and respected, and this one man in particular. I remembered the way he had talked about those attacks with us, the way he was always careful to be as neutral as possible while making us think, even debate. I remembered him teaching us, both years. I remembered feeling at 12 y.o. that I was finally learning and understanding the way the world around me worked. I remembered that he had been serious and yet fun, an authority figure yet someone that was friendly instead of distant. I remembered that he wanted us to learn, not just facts (though it is important to always have context) but also to think critically, to analyse, those skills that are so essentials for future citizens who will one day be called to cast their ballots.

And upon learning of the attack on Saturday 17th, I thought that instead of Samuel Paty, it could very well have been him.

God, there's a lot of problems with the education system in France. And the worst thing about that, is that teachers are not responsible for most of these problems, yet they're always the scapegoats for everyone's anger, and the ones expected to fix every single problem even though they really can't. Not every teacher is perfect or even good, far from it : but I have had good teachers. Every single year I had good teachers. Some were more memorable than others, more passionate or eccentric, more inspiring; but as a rule they were good, and I really respected them as people. In the end, I remember those good teachers much more than those who were not really fit to teach.

I respect them for being teachers, when they got so much shit from the students, the parents, and even their hierarchy. Today, anyone becoming a teacher in France is not in it for the lousy pay or the difficult work conditions : they become teachers because they actually want to teach. And as someone who chose not to go down that road because I never thought I was strong enough to deal with all that, I really admire all my classmates who do want to become teachers.

So I hate this. I hate that teachers are being targeted for doing their fucking job and teaching.

I'm French, damnit. And because my teachers were good, because the history teacher I had in 2015 was good, I trust the values I've been taught are ours. "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité". Freedom of opinion, expression, press, association, consciousness, religion. Justice, tolerance. Democracy. The values and ideas of the Enlightenment which inspired the French Revolution. The light of knowledge and reason driving away the darkness of ignorance, prejudice and superstition.

Those are the ideas I trust, and school is not only any institution passing down those values, it also embodies many of them. As such, teachers, in particular history and geography teachers who are the ones tasked to teach about our history and values, are, in a way, a symbol; a living representation of those values.

So it's just horrifying that teachers have been targeted, when they're, in general, just good people doing a job disregarded by so many people, when they get so much shit from everyone and so little rewards.

I hate this.

[pilferingapples]

ID : a tweet from the Siecle history podcast that reads "Some of the most detailed historical research being done today about 19th Century France is done by a small community of fans trying to make their fanfiction historically accurate."

[imashadowalker]

MieuxVoter2022.fr : exprimez enfin vos opinions !

Parce que le mode de scrutin influe sur l'issue du scrutin, des chercheurs comparent le scrutin uni-nominal (actuellement utilisé en France pour les élections présidentielles) et le jugement majoritaire. N'hésitez pas à participer à l'expérience !

Si vous êtes curieux d'en savoir plus sur les modes de scutins, je vous propose cette vidéo par le scientifique français David Louapre:

[imashadowalker]

Notre sortie de famille ce dimanche : au bureau de vote !

[imashadowalker]

Covid-19 : la majorité des patients en réanimation sont bien non vaccinés

De nombreux antivaccins assurent que les non-vaccinés ne saturent pas les services de réanimation du pays, en s’appuyant sur des données de

Explications sur les chiffres et comment ils peuvent être mal interprétés.

[camilieroart]

Tried to draw Ewilan and Salim (inspired from the show’s design)

and I don’t like the end result.

I’m going to do another one because the process of drawing them was super fun tho

[imashadowalker]

L'Assemblée nationale lance une "consultation citoyenne" en ligne pour comprendre les raisons de l'abstention aux élections

Le questionnaire sera disponible du 1er au 30 octobre sur le site de l'Assemblée nationale et les résultats seront rendus publics. 

Consultation citoyenne sur l'abstention et les modes de scrutins, ouverte à tous en France (y compris les mineurs) pour le mois d'octobre 2021. Lien dans l'article.