France Arrests 54 For Defending Terror After Charlie Hebdo Attack

In a new effort to curb terrorism, France announced this week that it had arrested 54 people for defending terrorism, either by making hateful comments or glorifying extremism.

The new crackdown comes one week after Islamic extremists attacked the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper in Paris last Wednesday, killing 12, including the magazine's top editor and several cartoonists known for drawing irreverent religious cartoons depicting the prophet Mohamed.

According to the Associated Press, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll described the other ways in which France is upping up its intelligence against terrorism, including tapping into phone lines and monitoring locals for possible connections to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda.

Some have criticized France's recent crackdown on terrorism, as of the 54 people arrested, none were directly connected with last Wednesday's attack, causing some to believe the government is going against the right to freedom of speech expressed by Charlie Hebdo.

One of those arrested, comic Dieudonne, wrote on Facebook that although he is being investigated by the police, he is in fact "not any different from Charlie."

"Whenever I speak, you do not try to understand what I'm trying to say, you do not want to listen to me. You are looking for a pretext to forbid me. You consider me like Amedy Coulibaly when I am not any different from Charlie," he wrote, referencing the suspect who took hostages at a Jewish supermarket last Wednesday, killing five people.

Also on Wednesday, Charlie Hebdo sold out of its three-million copy special edition magazine, the first to be printed after last Wednesday's terror attack on its offices. The magazine, which received funds from companies around the world to continue production, features a defiant cartoon of the prophet Mohamed crying with a sign that reads: "Je Suis Charlie." Above Mohamed reads the words: "All is Forgiven."

Photos from Paris show eager customers lining up before dawn to purchase their copy of the controversial magazine, while media reports cite fighting at newsstands for the latest copies of Charlie Hebdo.

"Normally they sit in a box in front of the kiosk and you just help yourself — and normally, the Charlie Hebdo box always has some copies in it," Marie Dupont, a 22-year-old Parisian, told USA Today while passing through Gare du Nord train station on Wednesday morning.