January 7, 2015, is my personal, intellectual 9/11. The massacre has left my soul deeply wounded.

I discovered the satirical drawings of Charlie Hebdo during my studies in Strasbourg and became really fond of them. Their drawings always made me smile. Never provocative or insulting, they reflected pictures and questions of our daily lives.

How can cartoons create such hatred, such crimes? These are just drawings, ink on paper, ideas, feelings, expressions. Charb, Cabu, Wolinski and the others draw cartoons about Mohammed, the Pope, the Church and other subjects. They were not Islamophobic, they were gentle, kind, anti-racist anarchists, forced to draw and live under police protection.

France has been a secular country for centuries, accepting one of the most advanced constitutions back in 1789. It has welcomed many generations of immigrants. France is for me not only the baguette-carrying white guy, the cheeses and wines, but also Barbès, Nabila or Jamel Debbouze. France still stands for Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and no abominable act will change this.

The gunmen are just the tools for the barbaric act, not the masterminds. More energy should be spent on investigating the origin of funding of these djihadisme.

Our governments have no scruples doing business with persons, families and countries in the Middle East who openly support extremist groups. We buy petrol from Islamic states, we sell them the weapons that kill us. Aren’t we hypocrites, to cry today for the death of people we loved when ultimately we finance the perpetrators?

Charlie Hebdo will live, no matter what they do to us. Our liberty to speak, think, draw, sing, cry will remain unchanged. Charb, Cabu, Wolinsky have been killed, other will replace them.

We will never surrender.