This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/17/niger-protesters-burn-churches-charlie-hebdo-protest

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Niger rioters torch churches and attack French firms in Charlie Hebdo protest Niger rioters torch churches and attack French firms in Charlie Hebdo protest
(about 3 hours later)
Rioters armed with iron bars, axes and clubs burnt churches in the capital of Niger and at least two other towns in the north African nation, in violent protests against the publication of the cartoon of the prophet Muhammad on the cover of France’s Charlie Hebdo magazine. At least five people died when rioters burned churches and cars and attacked French-linked businesses across Niger on Saturday, in violent protests against the publication of a cartoon of Muhammad on the cover of Charlie Hebdo magazine.
The attacks came the day after five people died and 45 were injured in clashes in Niger’s second-largest city, Zinder, where a French cultural centre and cafe was also attacked. President Mahamadou Issoufou said all five of the dead were civilians, with four of them killed inside burned churches or bars.
As protesters in the streets of Niamey burnt the French flag and the embassy there urged French citizens to stay at home, President François Hollande confirmed his country’s commitment to “freedom of expression”. Ten people have died in two days of violence across the west African nation. Five died and 45 were injured in clashes on Friday in Niger’s second largest city, Zinder, where a French cultural centre and cafe were also hit.
“I’m thinking of countries where sometimes they don’t understand what freedom of expression is, because they have been deprived of it. But also we have supported these countries in their fight against terrorism,” said Hollande as he toured a market in his heartland of Tulle, central France. The majority of Niger’s 17 million population is Muslim, but the country is also home to many Christians. Last year, the United Nations declared the land-locked country north of Nigeria the poorest nation on earth.
The rioters in Niger, a former French colony, set up roadblocks and ransacked French-linked businesses, including telephone kiosks run by Orange. Some people carried signs saying “I am not Charlie”, responding to the slogan of solidarity with the staff of Charlie Hebdo used in western nations after 12 people were killed by gunmen who claimed to be taking revenge for the magazine’s depictions of the prophet. As protesters in Niamey burned the French flag, and the embassy there urged French citizens to stay at home, France’s president, François Hollande, reiterated his country’s commitment to freedom of expression.
“They offended our prophet Muhammad. That’s what we didn’t like,” said demonstrator Amadou Abdoul Ouahab. “This is the reason why we have asked Muslims to come, so that we can explain this to them, but the state refused. That’s why we’re angry today.” “I’m thinking of countries where sometimes they don’t understand what freedom of expression is because they have been deprived of it. But also, we have supported these countries in their fight against terrorism,” said Hollande, on a visit to Tulle, central France.
The protesters targeted as many as seven small Evangelical churches, some of them low-profile prayer houses that did not display any Christian symbols. Riot police lined up to protect the Niamey cathedral. The flare-up on the edge of the Sahara desert was the most violent of a string of protests across the Muslim world at the weekend, all denouncing the magazine’s cover. It showed a weeping Muhammad carrying a sign saying, “I am Charlie” under the words: “All is forgiven”.
“Some of us stayed barricaded in our homes. I have never been so scared in my life,” said a local Christian. “The government must put a stop to this,” he added. “It doesn’t look good for us.” Rioters also attacked bars, hotels and various businesses under non-Muslim ownership or bearing signs of French firms. A week earlier, two gunmen had shot dead 12 journalists, workers and police at the offices of the satirical magazine, claiming that the attacks were “avenging the prophet” for past insults.
“As soon as the protesters started towards the grand mosque, we knew this was coming,” said Kiema Soumaila, manager of the Toulousain, a well-known bar in Niamey. “They burnt everything after smashing anything that was glass on the road.” In Niger, the killings were denounced by Muslims horrified that their faith had been hijacked by terrorists, but few were happy with the Charlie Hebdo response either. Most Muslims believe Muhammad should not be depicted, and find satirical cartoons particularly offensive.
Churches were also reported to be on fire in eastern Maradi and Gouré, towns several hundred kilometres away, along with a house belonging to the foreign minister. Most of Niger’s 17 million-strong population is Muslim, but it has several million Christians and followers of other religions. The UN last year declared the landlocked country, which sits north of Nigeria and extends into the Sahara desert, the poorest nation on Earth. From Khartoum to Russia’s Muslim North Caucasus, and across the west African countries of Mali, Senegal and Mauritania, crowds took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations after Friday prayers. In Algiers and the Jordanian capital, Amman, though, protesters clashed with police, and in Pakistan and Niger there was serious violence.
About twice the size of France, it is plagued by drought and recurrent famines, but the young and fast-growing population still mostly relies on subsistence farming. In the Pakistani port city of Karachi city, police battled activists from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, who were trying to enter the French consulate. Television cameras captured some brandishing guns, as police fired in the air and doused the crowd with water cannon. At least three people were injured, including AFP photographer Asif Hassan.
Pakistan also saw violent demonstrations after Friday prayers in the port city of Karachi. City police battled activists from the Jamaat-e-Islami party who tried to approach the French consulate. Television cameras caught glimpses of guns brandished by some of the men. Police resorted to firing in the air and dousing the crowd with a water cannon. The rioters in Niger set up roadblocks, attacked a police station and burned two police cars, after police banned a meeting called by Islamic leaders and arrested four imams. Another protest march has been called for Sunday.
At least three people were wounded in the clashes. Asif Hassan, a photographer working for the French news agency AFP, was seriously injured by a shot to the chest. “They offended our prophet Muhammad. That’s what we didn’t like,” Amadou Abdoul Ouahab, a demonstrator, told Reuters. “This is the reason why we have asked Muslims to come, so that we can explain this to them, but the state refused. That’s why we’re angry today.”
In Algiers and Jordan, protesters clashed with police, but there were peaceful demonstrations in Khartoum, Sudan, Russia’s Muslim north Caucasus region of Ingushetia, and several other African countries – Mali, Senegal and Mauritania. Some people carried signs saying: “I am not Charlie”, denouncing the slogan of solidarity with the magazine.
The group tore up bibles inside churches, ransacked bars, hotels and businesses under non-Muslim ownership or linked to France, including telephone kiosks run by Orange.
“As soon as the protesters started towards the grand mosque we knew this was coming,” Kiema Soumaila, manager of Niamey’s Toulousain bar, told AFP. “They burned everything after smashing anything that was glass on the road.”
The rampage targeted seven evangelical churches in Niamey, where riot police got ready to protect the cathedral.
“Some of us stayed barricaded in our homes. I have never been so scared in my life,” said one onlooker, a Christian mechanic. “The government must put a stop to this. It doesn’t look good for us.”