Charlie Hebdo
There’s something about Marianne – but can French identity be defined?
The Parisian public belongs to ‘all classes and creeds’, yet the sounds, smells and street furniture remain unmistakably French, says Andrew Hussey
Everyday matters
Many would say the commute was one thing they didn’t miss in lockdown. But when Lauren Elkin was ‘yanked out…
In defence of Charlie Hebdo’s ‘racist royals’ cover
Amid the ongoing fallout from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive Oprah interview, Charlie Hebdo seems to have done the…
The unbearable niceness of Canadians is driving us to destruction
While Americans spent last week panicking about the state of their democracy, north of the border we were having a…
‘We’re all members of the Stasi now’
The arts are everywhere under attack from those who claim offence, writes Nina Power. Irvine Welsh steps into the fray with a documentary on the new censorship
Whatever happened to ‘Je Suis Charlie’?
Five years on from the horrific Charlie Hebdo massacre in which a dozen people lost their lives, politicians have been busy…
Diary
So far my responsibilities as the 2016 chair of the Man Booker prize have been rather light. We’ve had our…
France’s civil war…
...and the struggle facing Europe
Ian Rankin’s diary: Paris, ignoring Twitter and understanding evil
After ten days away, I spent last Friday at home alone, catching up on washing, shopping for cat food, answering…
France’s new reactionaries
The nation’s intellectuals are being roiled by issues of immigration, sovereignty and freedom of expression
One événement after another
The great conundrum of French history is the French Revolution, or rather, the sequence of revolutions, coups and insurrections during…
Guardians of an ideal
The French have always favoured grand, elegant abstractions about the human condition, says Ruth Scurr. It’s part of their national identity
Warning: this column may soon be illegal
A couple of weeks back I wrote an article headed: ‘Call me insane, but I’m voting Labour.’ Among the many…
The Wallström affair
Sweden’s feminist foreign minister has dared to tell the truth about Saudi Arabia. What happens now concerns us all
The zealotry of anti-zealots is alarming me
Something dangerous is brewing beneath the surface in our country, and it worries me that warning lights are not flashing…
Portrait of the week
Home More than 1,100 imams and Islamic leaders received a letter from Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, and Lord Ahmad…
Why everyone, and almost no one, is Charlie
Je suis Charlie indeed. This is the problem with placards — there is rarely enough room to fit in the caveats,…
An attack on freedom
The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo lambasts, attacks and lampoons absolutely everybody. Its targets include all religions, all identity groups,…
Must Paris reinvent itself?
Muriel Zagha 27 April 2024 9:00 am
The beautifully preserved, elitist metropolis now looks increasingly out of step with neighbouring capitals and may be forced to become more multicultural