Demonstrations in Support of Charlie Hebdo Attacks in Gaza

MEMRI:

On January 19, 2015, some 200 Salafi-jihadis in Gaza demonstrated in front of the French Cultural Institute to protest the insults to the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The mostly black-clothed demonstrators raised black flags and threatened attacks on French citizens. Posters featuring the Kouachi brothers and Amedy Coulibaly, who perpetrated the attack on Charlie Hebdo and a Paris kosher supermarket respectively, were also held by the demonstrators. They lit a fire at the entrance to the institute and then tried to storm its grounds but were stopped by Hamas police forces.

They shouted slogans such as “Curse France,” “We were going to cut off [i.e. boycott] your products and now we will cut off your heads,” and “Frenchmen, leave Gaza or else we will slaughter you” throughout the event. The demonstrators also carried a banner featuring an Osama bin Laden quotation: “O French people, if there are no limits to your freedom of expression, then open your hearts to our freedom of action. The news is what you will see, not what you hear.”

Abu Hassan, a demonstration participant said: “I direct a message to our leader [ISIS leader Abu Bakr] Al-Baghdadi: God willing, you have an army in Greater Syria and Iraq that will take revenge on behalf of the noble Prophet. They will never forego or neglect bringing victory to Allah’s religion… I direct a message to the French newspaper: God willing we will come to you with explosives. You will not hear the news but witness it, and I will say no further.”

There were also reports that the demonstration was suppressed by Hamas, which arrested many participants and attempted to attack journalists and confiscate their cameras. This is the first time that such a demonstration has occurred in the Gaza Strip after Hamas took control of the area in 2007.

The Gaza-based  pro-ISIS group Al-Nusra Al-Maqdisiyya posted photos from the demonstration on its Twitter account (@bakoon7). Following are examples:

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ISIS Supporter: “We salute Al-Baghdadi…”

Crowd: “We salute Al-Baghdadi…”

ISIS Supporter: “…from our proud Gaza.”

Crowd: “…from our proud Gaza.”

ISIS Supporter: “The Islamic State…”

Crowd: “…is here to stay.”

[…]

Ehna TV, via the Internet   

Banner featuring the three Paris attackers:

“Expect more from the heroes of Islam, oh worshippers of the Cross.”

[…]

ISIS Supporter: “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh France, the army of Muhammad is returning.”

[…]

ISIS supporters stomping on the French flag and burning it, then raising the black ISIS flag

[…]

BBC Arabic TV, via the Internet

ISIS Supporter: “Our sheikh, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, has armies in Iraq and in Syria. He has armies everywhere. They drink blood and are entertained by body parts.”

[…]

ISIS supporter with his face covered: “Our message to France and to the apostates at home and abroad is that death is the only solution to anyone who mocks the Prophet Muhammad.”

[…]

Other ISIS supporter with his face covered: “We say to the whole world that the Islamic State is here to stay and to expand. Allah willing, we will slaughter whoever mocks the Prophet Muhammad. This is our message.”