In Paris, Charlie Hebdo has given form to the spirit of democratic freedom: the ability to write, draw, and publish anything – even extreme (and at times vulgar) provocations. There is a strong sense in Paris, as there was in New York, that the real target was Western civilization itself.
此外，在这两起事件中，恐怖分子选择的目标都具有高度象征意义。在纽约，双子塔（Twin Towers）象征着资本主义的野心和成就。在巴黎，《查理周刊》造就了民主自由的精神形式：写、画和出版任何东西的权利——哪怕它们包括了极端的（有时是低俗的）挑衅。和纽约一样，巴黎弥漫着一种强烈的情绪，袭击的真正目标是西方文明本身。