Karachi Anti-Charlie Protests Rage Again, Demand Action Against France

Protestors burned a French flag and demanded that blasphemers are killed at a protest considered to be more peaceful than last week's.

MOSCOW, January 22 (Sputnik) – Thousands marched through Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, against Charlie Hebdo for publishing cartoons of Muhammad, AFP reported.

"Down with Charlie Hebdo! Down with the blasphemers!" the protesters chanted, according to RFI.

The rally was led by Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, head of the Pakistani Sufi Muslim organization Sunni Tehreek, together with local politicians from Islamist parties, according to the Pakistani Herald.

According to RFI, although the organization is opposed to the Taliban, they are vocal on issues such as blasphemy

The protestors demanded that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN) act against what they consider a blasphemous publication, according to the Pakistan Herald.

The protest's leader, Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, also demanded that Pakistan cut diplomatic ties with France, as protesters burned a French flag, according to AFP.

A rally against Charlie Hebdo in Karachi turned violent last Friday, when an AFP photographer was shot by one of the protesters, and police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protest.

Rallies protesting against the cartoons were also held in the former French colonies of Niger, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and Algeria. In Niger, ten people were killed during violent protests on Friday and Sunday.