When Islamic terrorists forced their way into the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015, stabbing 12 people to death and injuring 11, the tragic event was a key test for long-established press freedoms in Europe. Was the right to hold the prophet, or indeed any other figure, up for ridicule worth holding on to if it exposed journalists to such violence? The attack took place just days before Le Monde Group, publisher of the eponymous French newspaper, began to deliberate over architectural proposals for a new headquarters in central Paris. Rather than water down its plans and close off the building from the city and inhabitants, the clientbecame more convinced than ever that the design should draw people in and create an open dialogue.
展开▼
