Je Suis Charlie at Kitson. Image courtesy Kitson.
Je Suis Charlie: After The Hashtag
Anguish and outrage over the assassinations of the editorial staff at Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 7 has become the cri de coeur for those who love freedom of expression.
The hashtag Je Suis Charlie proclaiming solidarity with the assassinated journalists has covered Twitter and Facebook, and the statement has taken root beyond the online world. Washington Wizards Forward Kevin Seraphin wore a Je Suis Charlie T-shirt during pre-game warm-ups on Jan. 8. One company making Je Suis Charlie T-shirts is Kitson, the L.A.-headquartered pop-culture emporium. Kitson Founder Fraser Ross said he was not jumping on any bandwagon. Rather, making Je Suis Charlie Ts was giving the public what it demands. As news on the assassinations dominated headlines, Kitson fielded hundreds of calls for Je Suis Charlie shirts. “There’s a fine line on capitalizing on tragedy,” Ross noted, and executives must balance respect for an event with public demand. Kitson will donate 20 percent of profit of T-shirt sales to Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit, which monitors attacks on freedom of information. The Je Suis Charlie T retails for $28.
