A journalist who came upon the shooting scene at Paris publication Charlie Hebdo Wednesday described its horror, but allowed boldly that despite the brazen violence, the act should serve as a warning to radical Islamic terrorists that there are many "more of us willing to die" for press freedom.
No attacks will stop reporters from embracing freedom of expression, no matter how unpopular, noted Claire Berlinkski in a column published on
richochet.com.
"That I’m shaken is of concern to no one; my emotions are not the point. The entire city is shaken. So much that even my cab driver — I had to catch one to get home; the streets were otherwise blocked off — didn’t even ask me to pay the fare. When I said I was a journalist, and in a rush to say what little I knew, his response was, 'Forget about the money. Just hurry,'" Berlinski, who was walking to meet a friend near the massacre, wrote on the website, describing the horror but also rising up bravely to say that the terrorist attack would only embolden media to stand up for what they value.
"The assailants are as yet at liberty. I hope they’ll be dead by the time you read this. But if not:. You want me too? Come get me. Because nothing short of killing me — and many more of my kind — will ever shut us up," Berlinski, an Oxford University Ph.D. and freelance writer, bravely said in defiance.
While 12 people including two police officers were killed in the assault, another 11 were injured and remained hospitalized with four in serious condition,
Sky News reported as France prepared for a day of national mourning on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., journalists planned a vigil for Wednesday night at the Newseum. They were urged to bring pens or pencils to be held aloft "in solidarity with the magazine and its message of free press,"
Mediabistro reported of the planned tribute.
Berlinski admonished future terrorists that her kind remained undaunted.
"And if you don’t believe that now, you’ll believe it very soon. Because there are more of us willing to die for that freedom than those of you eager to take it from us. And soon you will find out that those of us willing to die for that freedom are also much better at killing than you.
"So come and get me. Je suis Charlie," she added.
"Go ahead. Make my day. Because you’ve got no idea what we’re capable of when we are pushed too far. And you are more than pushing your luck."