A village shopkeeper is stocking more than 100 copies of the new issue of Charlie Hebdo to show her support for free speech.
Ila Aghera said she was ‘nervous’ about selling the French satirical magazine in the wake of last week’s terrorist atrocity in Paris.
The magazine, where nine members of staff were shot dead by Islamist fanatics, has caused fresh controversy by featuring a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed – holding a Je Suis Charlie sign – on its cover.
However, Mrs Aghera says it is important for future generations to be reminded that attack was carried out over a ‘silly cartoon’.
Three million copies of Charlie Hebdo’s latest edition are being printed to meet huge public demand in the wake of the killings, in which two policemen and a visitor also died.
Prominent Muslims have condemned the cover cartoon of Mohammed as highly offensive – and warned it could provoke more extremist violence.
But Mrs Aghera, whose newsagents is in an upmarket village, said she has already received 80 orders for the magazine from across Britain.
‘It is important for future generations for them to see this, to know what happened,’ said the 54-year-old.
‘I am nervous. I’m shaking now, I’m only a little village shop but I don’t care because what I am doing is right. We will be selling it from Friday. I think I’m the first one to do it. I might be old-fashioned but I’m not going to be scared. I’m selling it as a one-off.’
The mother-of-two added: ‘All age groups should know what happened. What happened in France is very upsetting, it was very wrong – for a silly cartoon that was a joke to make people laugh.
‘I’ve ordered over 100 copies. I’m just doing my job and providing a service. If people want to read it they should be able to.’
Only around 2,000 copies are being imported into the UK.
They are being distributed by newspaper and magazine wholesalers Smiths News and Menzies Distribution.
A spokesman at Menzies Distribution Ltd said: ‘I can confirm that Menzies Distribution will handle supplies of the upcoming Charlie Hebdo special edition.
‘We don’t expect to face particular security issues, but we will take whatever precautions our security team believe are sensible to ensure the safety of our employees.’
Smiths News said: ‘We are due to get a very limited supply of the title but full details are yet to be confirmed.’
WH Smith, Britain’s biggest newsagent chain, said it did not normally stock Charlie Hebdo and would not sell this week’s special edition.
The French Bookshop in South Kensington, West London, has warned customers that it will not receive copies until Friday morning.
The edition is being printed in French, Italian and Turkish and willl also be available in English, Spanish and Arabic for download from the internet.
Charlie Hebdo, which was founded in 1970, normally prints only 60,000 copies of each issue and had been in financial trouble before last week’s attack triggered a massive outpouring of support.
Staff said yesterday they were determined not to censor the magazine’s irreverent spirit.
The new front cover features the headline ‘All is forgiven’ over a tearful Mohammed holding a sign reading ‘Je suis Charlie’, the slogan that has become a rallying cry for those appalled by the massacre.
The image was the work of cartoonist Renald ‘Luz’ Luzier, who survived the killings because he was late for work that day.
The magazine also includes cartoons mocking the two killers, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi.
British radical preacher Anjem Choudary said the magazine’s front-page Mohammed cartoon was a ‘blatant provocation’. Moderate Muslim voices also criticised the decision to print a depiction of their prophet knowing it would cause offence.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said there was ‘no justification’ and urged British broadcasters and newspapers not to carry the cartoon. ‘These cartoons are not satire, they are not in good taste – they are just offensive,’ he said.
Omer El-Hamdoon, president of the Muslim Association of Britain, said he felt ‘disgust’ at the new Charlie Hebdo cartoon.
However, Sughra Ahmed, president of the Islamic Society of Britain, called for tensions around the pictures of Mohammed to be ‘de-escalated’.
She added: ‘We are not defending the new cartoon per se, but the “all is forgiven” sentiment is important and gracious and if many of my work colleagues were shot dead last week, I would feel defiant and want to fight back, so I understand where this is coming from.’
And David Cameron defended the magazine’s right to offend.
‘When your freedom of expression is attacked in this way, I don’t think it’s surprising that people want to stand up and fight for that freedom of expression they believe in,’ he told Heart radio.
