LONDON, January 13 (Sputnik) — UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg expressed their support for the publication of a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad on the cover of the new issue of Charlie Hebdo Tuesday.
According to the reports, the caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad holding a plate with the caption "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie" in French) will be on the front cover of Wednesday's issue of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine. The headline will read "Tout est pardonne" ("All is forgiven" in French).
At the same time, the prime minister acknowledged that the cartoon could cause offense, according to ITV News.
Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, also supported the magazine's decision to depict the Prophet on its front cover and called it part of the "ideological struggle".
"I don't think you can have freedom unless you are also free to offend each other in an open society," Clegg said, as quoted by ITV News.
The new edition is expected to have a circulation of three million, significantly more than its usual print run of 60,000.
On January 7, three men attacked the office of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others. The two terrorists responsible for the attack were killed during a police raid. The third suspect turned himself in.
On Sunday, some four million people took to the streets in Paris calling for an end to extremist violence worldwide and holding the slogan "Je suis Charlie".
