Newsstands in and around Paris sold out of the much-talked-about latest issue of Charlie Hebdo — with one vendor reporting that customers scooped all his copies within five minutes of his opening for business.
Hopeful buyers stood in the streets in the early morning hours, waiting near the vendor kiosks in case someone dropped off some spare copies, CBS News reported.
The sell-out is historic; Charlie Hebdo, with its defiant cover image of the prophet Mohammad, printed an extra 2 million to 3 million copies — a significant jump from its normal 60,000. CBS also reported that copies of the issue had already made waves on online auction sites like eBay, with asking prices — and bids — reaching into the hundreds of dollars.
Several kiosk operators reported customers engaging in scuffles and fights.
The newspaper-related incidents come as French police arrested a local comedian, Dieudonne, for allegedly defending the terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 12, along with the subsequent hostage situation that left four more dead.
Prosecutors had opened a case into the comedian after he posted to his Facebook page: “Tonight, as far as I’m concerned, I feel like Coulibaly,” a reference to the the terror suspect who was believed to have killed five people, including a policeman, before he was shot dead, Sky News reported.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called the comic’s statements “contemptible,” Sky News said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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