Clooney, Mirren and Top A-Listers Take Action in Support of Je Suis Charlie Cause

By
ETONLINE

George Clooney, Colin Hanks, Helen Mirren and more A-list celebrities are going to bat for French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo after terror attacks on their headquarters left 10 journalists dead.

"We both wanted to be in solidarity with them," Clooney told ET at the Golden Globes, referring to himself and wife Amal.

NEWS: Margaret Cho Responds to Critics of Her 'Racist' Golden Globes Bit

"Je Suis Charlie seems like an absolute no-brainer," Hanks told ET, after showing his support via Instagram post.

"The pen is mightier than the sword and I think it's a wonderful symbol of free speech," Mirren said, wearing a pen pinned to her dress.

"That's the insanity of the world, isn't it?" Rosamund Pike told ET. "The extremities of life -- it all hurdles at us. That's why we feel privileged and we have to enjoy every moment of it."

The surviving staff members of Charlie Hebdo held an emotional press conference in which they revealed the cover, which features a depiction of the prophet Muhammad. The two gunmen, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, launched the attack last Wednesday, saying that they wanted to avenge Muhammad for Charlie Hebdo's satire of him. CNN's Brian Stelter says journalists are debating whether or not to show the cover.

NEWS: George & Amal Speak Out Against France Terrorist Attacks

"This is a very close call for American media outlets," Stelter told ET. "There are compelling arguments on both sides. This is a very hard decision for a news executive to make."

On the new cover, the prophet holds a sign that reads, "Je suis Charlie," while the headline says, "All is forgiven."

Surviving Charlie Hebdo columnist Zineb El Rhazoui told BBC Radio 4's Today program that the cover was a call to forgive the terrorists who killed her colleagues and two police officers.

"We don't feel any hate to them," Rhazoui said. "We know that the struggle is not with them as people, but the struggle is with an ideology."

NEWS: 8 Times Golden Globes Winners Made It About More Than Themselves

Former editor of The Onion, Joe Randazzo, opened up about what the movement means to other satirical outlets.

"You always offend somebody no matter what the joke is when you're working for The Onion," Randazzo said. "If we start to worry about violence being a retribution for anything we say under the context of satire then it really will erode at our concept of free speech."

Normally Charlie Hebdo prints about 60,000 copies per issue, but Wednesday's edition will have 3 million magazines printed.