Lexington Herald-Leader editorial cartoonist Joel Pett is reacting to the attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo this week in Paris.
Speaking with WUKY Friday, Pett – who also serves as president of the board of directors of Cartoonist Rights Network International – described his colleagues around the world as a tight-knit group.
"We just like each other, so it's really rough when something like this goes down. I don't mean to be corny about it, but it's like a death in the family. Even though we're supposed to raise our mighty pens in response, I've got to tell you I'm not at all sorry these guys got the swift sword," he said.
While two brothers allegedly involved in this week’s attack have been killed, the effects of the brazen attack on a small satirical newspaper are bound to linger. Pett said the incident is only an extreme example of the kind of pressures cartoonists face across the globe.
"I think it's important to remember that cartoonists are under attack all the time around the world, just not usually on this scale and not by terrorists," he said. "It's usually by their own government."
Pett said threats are not nearly as common in the United States because cartoonists have tended to be less provocative than in places like France and lawmakers here are reticent to mount serious challenges to editorial cartoons.
