Oxford newsagents ditches plan to sell Charlie Hebdo after threats

A newsagents has abandoned plans to sell the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo after receiving threats.

As reported in Saturday’s Oxford Mail, Wendy News in Broad Street, Oxford, had ordered around 500 copies of the weekly magazine, whose latest edition features a cartoon of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad on the front page. But yesterday owner Adam Esmail said they had since decided not to sell them because of the backlash. He said: “We have been unable to get hold of copies yet and because of threats we have received over the last few days from around the UK we won’t be selling the magazine. We don’t want to provoke Muslim people, I am a Muslim myself.” 

Hamid Hadi, who works at Wendy’s News in Broad Street, Oxford, said they had ordered 500 copies of the magazine, which depicts the Prophet Muhammad, because of customer demand. He said they cancelled the order after receiving threats, including a phone call threatening to burn the shop down.

Mr Hadi, a muslim, told the BBC they decided to sell it after receiving almost 100 individual orders from customers.But he said staff were scared after they received “so much pressure” through phone calls and on Facebook over the decision.

Of the phone calls, Mr Hadi said: “My cousin was there… and they were saying ‘we know where you are… we will break all the windows, we will burn your shop because you sell this magazine,’ and he was frightened. “He called me and he talked to me and after I said call the police.”

Police said they are investigating and taking the allegation “very seriously”. Thames Valley Police spokeswoman Rhianne Pope confirmed officers were called to the newsagents to investigate reports a threat was made to the shop on Monday night on the phone.

Director of Oxford Islamic Information Centre Dr Hojjat Ramzy said the violent threats could reflect badly on the majority of Muslims.

He said: “I completely condemn these threats. It is totally wrong. They are changing the way people see our religion, as an evil caricature of Islam. “They are hurting us badly.

“They are going to the extreme. We should let it go, let it pass and pray for peace.” He added: “Newsagents have a right to sell it, but in my opinion it is wrong.”