Charlie Hebdo hints at distributing 3m copies of defiant return issue
French satire publication Charlie Hebdo could see a print run 50 times larger than its normal circulation upon the magazine’s return to market following the deadly attack from armed extremists last week.
The publisher, which announced it will boost its usual 60,000 issue circulation to one million, has hinted that production may be extended yet again on the back of high demand for the iconic cover.
The first issue following the massacre which saw 12 people killed in total will be released on Wednesday 13 January with a cover featuring the prophet Muhammad holding a ‘Je suis Charlie’ sign.
Michel Salion, a spokesman for MPL, a distributer of the magazine told Business Insider that the initial batch of one million copies could be extended to three million on the back of high demand.
Salion said: “We have requests for 300,000 copies throughout the world - and demand keeps rising by the hour. The million will go. As of Thursday, the decision will probably be taken to print extra copies... So we'll have one million, plus two if necessary."
Around 1,000 issues have been primed for release in the UK.