The conflict between French President Macron and Muslims both inside and outside of France has always been prevalent. The publication of islamophobic cartoons, the terrorist attack on the publication company, and the murder of Samuel Paty all incited France’s conflict with Muslims.

Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical magazine that is most famous for its cartoons that controversially picture Muhammad, a prominent religious figure in Abrahamic religion. These cartoons prompted the terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo in 2015 and 2020, the former killing 12 people. Before recounting the murder of Samuel Paty, it’s important to recognize the way that France views freedom of speech. CNN quotes President Macron saying this: France will continue “loving debates, reasonable arguments, we will love science and its controversies. We will not give up caricatures, drawings, even if others are retreating.” There are virtually no restrictions on freedom of speech in France, encouraging what is meant to be a friendly and calm debate. This is what led Macron to defend Charlie Hebdo. Moving on to the murder of Samuel Paty. CNN reports that 47-year-old Samuel Paty was trying to engage his students in a lesson on France’s policy of freedom of expression, which unfortunately led to his murder. Paty was teaching a lesson on freedom of expression and using Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons to do so. He had warned Muslim students in advance and given them the option to opt out of the lesson. However, one parent disagreed with this lesson and published multiple videos identifying Paty and calling for his dismissal, most likely how Paty’s killer identified him. In response to this, Politico writes that the French government doubled down on radical islamic groups, conducting raids on places or associations they claimed had ties to radical islamic groups. Once again, Macron defends Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons, citing France’s policy on freedom of expression. All of France’s actions in defence of Charlie Hebdo, Muslim communities everywhere, outside and inside of France, have voiced their displeasure. A German news site called DW News reports that demonstrators in Pakistan are calling for the Pakistani government to cut all diplomatic and trade ties with France, along with a boycott of French products. Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, comments that “Europeans have shown a lack of understanding for the fact that Islamic tradition explicitly forbids such images.” Outrage around the world at President Macron’s defense of Charlie Hebdo continues.