An international cartoonist says the terror attack on the weekly satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo offices in France has united artists across the European Union (EU).
Rufus Dayglo Photo: Rufus Dayglo
Three cartoonists and the editor were among the 12 killed during the raid on the magazine by three gunmen.
Former resident of Wellington, New Zealand, now a London based cartoonist for DC comics and 2000 AD, Rufus Dayglo said cartoonists were responding to the murders of their colleagues with solidarity.
He said the response from the EU cartooning community was not one of indignation but one of solidarity.
"One feels it's very much a brotherhood and that we stand beside each other."
"The whole feeling is just one that we have to unite, come up with ideas, the best way of battling this is with more humour because at the end of the day they really can't beat a joke. I mean they can kill a few creators but they can't silence us and they won't silence us," Mr Dayglo said.
He said the French had a very long tradition of satire in their art and he called it a very touching satire that goes all the way back to their revolution.
Mr Dayglo said the Western World had long held the tradition that people had the right to free speech and one of the rights of free speech was the right to offend.
"It sounds like a very silly thing but it's important to have the right to be silly as well. Some of the greatest humour is silly. And if the only way you can fight silliness is with a machine gun then you've already lost the argument."
He said satire was important for freedom of speech.
"In the art world across the West we have the right and the ability to satirise and to laugh at ideas whether from the right or the left, from religion or any sectarian divide.
"We need to be able to do this unimpeded and most importantly without the threat of physical violence."
Mr Dayglo says one of the rights of free speech was the right to offend. Photo: Rufus Dayglo
Rufus Dayglo attended the vigil in Trafalgar Square for the murdered magazine workers out of duty, love and to show that cartoonists will not be intimidated into silence and will not bend to medieval ideas.
Mr Dayglo believes the intention of the attack was to silence any dissent against what the group responsible for the killings believed in.
He said a point to remember for those who now had to deal with the consequences of the killings, governments and other community groups, was that those responsible were very marginal.
"They do not represent any community, any majority, they're pretty much a minority group but they're a very dangerous minority group. They believe we should have the right to free speech."
Mr Dayglo said one of the wonderful things about art and satire was that oppressive forces could stomp on them as much as they wanted but they were like cockroaches - they would come back and in greater numbers.
