France Arrests 54 for Defending Terror; Newspaper Sells Out
Charlie Hebdo’s defiant new issue sold out before dawn Wednesday around Paris, with some scuffles at kiosks over dwindling copies of the satirical paper fronting the Prophet Muhammad. In a city still shaken after deadly Islamic terror attacks, authorities said 54 people had been detained for defending or glorifying terrorism.
The arrests are part of a broader French crackdown that includes a government push for tougher anti-terrorism measures after the attacks, the worst in France in decades.
Dieudonne, a controversial comic with a large following in France, was among those detained. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said some of those detained have already been convicted — a display of French justice that was notably rapid.
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