The world is still reeling from the horrific terrorist attack on French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo in Paris last week.
Two masked gunmen entered the offices of the controversial magazine on Wednesday last week and brutally shot and killed 11 of the magazine‘s employees.
Following the attack, millions of Parisians, French people and other all across the globe showed their support for freedom of speech and stood in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo – condemning the attack with the hashtag #jesuischarlie
Je suis Charlie translates to “˜I am Charlie‘ in English. A powerful message clearing stating that anyone bearing the words “˜je suis Charlie‘ are standing in solidarity with the magazine, as they, too are Charlie.
Of course, in our day and age, with social media being at the forefront of breaking, international events, it came as no surprise that such a powerful slogan was transformed into a hashtag that went viral. But the je suis Charlie slogan didn‘t only spawn a powerful hashtag, it also spawned an app.
The Je Suis Charlie app made it‘s appearance on Apple‘s App Store on Sunday – a mere 4 days after the attack.
Created by a French start-up, the app aims to help users show their solidarity with Charlie Hebdo and connect them with other “˜Charlies‘ in their vicinity. This is essentially just to see how many supporters are close to you. Naturally, this function can assist with organizing protests, marches etc. or even just to give you peace of mind, knowing that their are thousands of people who also condemn this attack on freedom of speech.
When you open the app, you will see a map of your current location. In my case, it showed me a map of Cape Town, with my exact area pinpointed. At the bottom of the screen is a “˜counter‘ that tracks how many other “˜Charlies‘ there are. You can also see how many “˜Charlies‘ are close to you, and where exactly they are.
You can then add yourself to the ever-growing list of “˜Charlies‘ by clicking on the Je Suis Charlie logo. The app then geotags your location, and adds a stamp of a raised fist with a pencil in hand (the unofficial logo of the app) at your location.
An app like this is a wonderful way of helping people all over the world – even if they weren‘t directly affected by the attacks – show their support for Charlie Hebdo, Paris, and more importantly, freedom of speech.
And while the app in itself is wonderful, what is perhaps even greater is the fact that this app made it‘s debut so soon after the attacks – and there is one specific person we can thank for that.
According to some sources, the developers of the Je Suis Charlie app went straight to the big boss Apple to get the app released as soon as possible. The developers apparently emailed Apple CEO, Tim Cook, and asked him if he would help to fast track the app so that it can be available for download almost immediately.
And, they prevailed. Normally, Apple has a 10 -15 day approval process for any new apps wanting to join the app store. However, in the case of the Je Suis Charlie app, Tim Cook approved the app immediately – hence fast tracking the app.
It‘s always amazing to see the world come together in the face of a tragedy like this. Especially one as important as this. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword. #jesuischarlie.
Source: Mashable
