The Left did not Betray 'Charlie Hebdo'

Eight years after the Islamist attack on the editorial office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 people were killed and 11 wounded, the publication's director, Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau, a survivor of the attack, gave an interview to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Sourisseau acknowledged that the magazine is left-leaning but noted that after the attack he felt betrayed. "It is a bit of a strong concept, but the truth is that we had a feeling of betrayal. We were betrayed by people who in theory were politically and historically close to us: in difficult circumstances they let us go, let us fall and plunged our heads under water," he said.

He also noted that, paradoxically:

What is surprising about his statements is that he was surprised that his friends on the left turned their backs on him while his conservative "enemies" defended him. Evidently, Sourisseau considers himself a leftist but does not understand how this ideological current works.

The causes that progressives claim to defend, apparently noble, in reality have nothing to do with their alleged good intentions. They seek to implement a form of authoritarianism in order to obtain all kinds of privileges and impose their destructive socio-economic ideas by force. Of course there are those who profit from it, but there are also those who believe the left's bullshit, and this may be your case, Mr. Sorisseau. The left pretends to stand up to those in power. This is why it rants against Zionism and the "imperialist" America and embraces absurd causes such as modern feminism, attacking the patriarchy and exaggerating the issue of racism in order to fight racism. Leftists are trying to create a dichotomy of the strong against the weak instead of dedicating themselves to becoming productive members in society.

This, dear reader, is the hypocrisy of the left. It claims to fight against those in power but actually wants to take all the power for itself. It even goes as far as to defend authoritarian leaders, as long as they apply their authoritarianism with their left hand, of course. Take what happened in Brazil. If the progressives carry out violent protests, it is a revolution of the people seeking their freedom. If such disturbances are caused by those on the other side, it is a coup d'état.

Mr. Sourisseau: you, like any self-respecting progressive, believe in some of the absurd slogans that the left repeats ad nauseam. You may do so with intellectual honesty, but it is at best naïve. However, you differ from the left in that you are sometimes encouraged to criticize those who are on the progressives' side, and it is for that reason that you feel betrayed. However, the left did not betray you. The left is like that. If you do not serve its political interests, it will let you drown.

Mr. Sourisseau: you were stupefied by the fact that the left does not accept freedom of speech. Are you just now realizing this? As you said, it was people with center-right and right-wing ideas (not the extremists, which there are also) who tolerate your mediocre covers, however much they may hurt some people's feelings.

You and your team are dedicated to satirical humor with a strong critical message. From my point of view, your work is quite mediocre, and the attacks it makes, armed with creativity and a pencil, in many cases do not do it for me. On your front page I have seen Jews and Christians being mocked and the characterization of Israelis as bloodthirsty beings who slaughter poor Palestinians. This is idea that progressives repeat without knowing anything about the subject, just as you do. However, no Christian, Jew or Israeli will do you any harm for expressing yourselves freely with mediocre humor and caricatures. It may result in mild disdain or even insults, but nothing more.

However, you decided to mock Islam as well, exercising your right to freedom of expression, and you paid dearly for your audacity. The left did not support you because your criticisms were not directed against Jews, conservative Christians, Zionism or any other of your powerful rivals. It was of no use to the progressives to support you because it did not serve their political ends. Palestinians are overwhelmingly Muslim, and the left remains silent when they feel they must. For the same reason that they looked the other way when several members of your team were assassinated, they also look the other way when the authoritarian, corrupt and murderous Palestinian leadership (Hamas and the Palestinian Authority) repress Palestinian citizens in the worst way.

Even though progressives are usually portrayed as tough and brave people, the truth is that they are this way only with those who know that they will not be shot or beheaded for expressing their opinion. For the left, the life of a Palestinian terrorist killed in a confrontation with Israeli forces is worth more than that of a homosexual persecuted in Ramallah or Gaza or hanged in Iran. The deaths themselves do not grieve them, of course, but they serve their dark political ends. Do you realize that Israel is fighting against groups that have identical ideas to those terrorists who murdered 11 of your team? Do you think they did not celebrate that slaughter? The left's condemnation of Israel is merciless because, to a good progressive, the dogmas in one's head must outweigh reason.

Mr. Sourisseau: you were stupefied by the fact that the left does not accept freedom of speech. Are you just now realizing this? As you said, it was people with center-right and right-wing ideas (not the extremists, which there are also) who tolerate your mediocre covers, however much they may hurt some people's feelings. These are the folks who understand that freedom of expression implies that some people may be offended. Just as they accept your mediocre humor, they also have the right to dislike it. However, progressives try to impose a single discourse: they try to censor the internet, universities, etc., often with violent methods. That is why they are offended and cry like capricious children at any contrary opinion, no matter how moderate and well-argued it may be.

You said that progressives "think they are leftists, but they are ultra-reactionary moralists. Woke-ism is really a reaction against something acquired, that's what reactionary means: to go backwards, to go backwards." Yes, sir. You hit the nail on the head. It is strange to me that eleven people on your team had to die for you to realize how progressives work and what is behind their supposedly noble causes.

Despite all the criticism, you still consider yourself progressive. Just remember that the left did not betray you; this tragedy just allowed you to see its true character. From the bottom of my heart, I hope that you wake up once and for all.