Stephane Charbonnier

Stéphane Charbonnier known as Charb, was a French caricaturist and journalist; most known for his work with Charlie Hebdo where he became editor in 2009.

Charb was placed on Al-Qaeda's most wanted list in 2013, after editing an edition of Charlie Hebdo that satirised the prophet Muhammad.

He was murdered in the shooting at Charlie Hebdo '​s Paris offices in 2015.

Charb worked for many newspapers, Charlie Hebdo – where he became editor in 2009 –,L'Écho des savanes, Télérama, Fluide glacialand L'Humanité.

His cartoons, which often feature Maurice et Patapon the anti-capitalist cat and dog, are caustic and irreverent. He also used to draw the character of Marcel Keuf, le flic in Fluide Glacial.

His rubric in the weekly Charlie Hebdo was titled Charb n'aime pas les gens (Charb does not like people).

He used to deliver a monthly chronic titled La fatwa de l'Ayatollah Charb (The Fatwa of the Ayatollah Charb) in the Fluide Glacialmagazine.

In 2007 and 2008, he also took part in the talk show T'empêches tout le monde de dormir hosted by Marc-Olivier Fogiel on M6 as a set cartoonist.

He was a long time supporter of the French Communist Party and the Left Front.

On 2 November 2011, Charlie Hebdo was firebombed right before its 3 November issue was due; the issue was called Sharia Hebdo and satirically featured the Prophet of Islam Muhammad as guest-editor.

Charb and two co-workers at Charlie Hebdo subsequently received police protection.

 In September 2012, a man was arrested in La Rochelle for allegedly having called for beheading of Charb at a Jihadist website.

Publications

   Charb 2000 MRAP anti-racism campaign poster

• Je suis très tolérant, MC Productions / Charb , 1996
• fr:Maurice et Patapon, Volumes I (2005) II (2006), III (2007), IV (2009), fr:Hoebeke
• Attention ça tache, Casterman, 2004 (with foreword by fr:Philippe Geluck)
• Charb n'aime pas les gens : chroniques politiques, 1996-2002, Agone, 2002
• Collectif, Mozart qu'on assassine, Albin Michel, 2006, with fr:Catherine Meurisse, fr:Riss, Luz,fr:Tignous et Jul
• J'aime pas les fumeurs, Hoëbeke, 2007
• J'aime pas la retraite, 2008 (with fr:Patrick Pelloux)
• C'est la Faute à la société, 12 bis, 2008
• Dico Sarko, éditions 12 bis, 2008
• Le Petit Livre rouge de Sarko, 12 bis, 2009
• Eternuer dans le chou-fleur et autres métaphores sexuelles à travers le monde, text byfr:Antonio Fischetti, fr:Les Échappés, 2009
• Marx, mode d'emploi, La Découverte, 2009 (with fr:Daniel Bensaïd)
• Le Cahier de vacances de Charlie Hebdo, fr:Les Échappés, 2009, with fr:Catherine Meurisse, fr:Riss and Luz
• Les Fatwas de Charb, fr:Les Échappés, 2009
• C'est pas là qu'on fait caca! fr:Maurice et Patapon for children, fr:Les Échappés, 2010
• Les dictons du jour, agenda 2011, fr:Les Échappés, 2010
• Sarko, le kit de survie, 12 bis, 2010
• Marcel Keuf, le flic, fr:Les Échappés, 2011
• La salle des profs, 12 bis, 2012

Charb also illustrated the Petit cours d'autodéfense intellectuelle by Normand Baillargeon(Short class in intellectual self defense) and the "Petit cours d'autodéfense en économie" byJim Stanford (éditions Lux) (Short class in economical self defense).

Charb was known for his controversial and thought-provoking illustrations and caricatures. The week of the Charlie Hebdo attack, an eerily prescient Charb illustration in that week's issue comprised the observation that there hadn't been any terrorist attacks in France, followed by a caricatured armed jihadist fighter turning a customary French phrase to malicious use:

"Wait!... one has until the end of January to present one's season's greetings".