“The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart took a serious moment on his show to offer condolences to the staff at the satirical French magazine Charlie Hedbo.
“I think we’d all agree that 2014 was not a great year for people but I think the hope was that 2015 would bring sort of a respite from the kinds of terrible events that have become all too familiar for us,” Stewart said on Thursday.
He said the multiple deaths that resulted from a violent shooting at Hedbo this week served as a “stark reminder” that the targets of satire on his own show, including politicians and the media, are “not the enemy in any way.”
Stewart said his show’s goal would not be to make sense of the matter because it was senseless.
“Keep calm and carry on,” he said. “Or whatever the version of that saying is [hanging] in your dorm room.”
On Wednesday morning in Paris, three men reportedly entered the Charlie Hedbo office and began shooting at staff, killing several and wounding scores more. Video evidence indicates the men shouted Islamic phrases during the incident. They fled the scene, though one has since surrendered, according to news reports.
