Episodes of The Simpsons are written almost a year in advance of airing, so the show can't be timely with current events, and instead tries to track larger cultural tends.  But last week's massacre at the offices of satirical publication Charlie Hebdo prompted the long-running TV series to insert an image of solidarity during last night's episode.  The image didn't relate to the plot, but it appeared before the final commercial break.

The image bears the phrase, "Je Suis Charlie," (meaning "I Am Charlie"), with Maggie holding a flag in the style of Eugène Delacroix's painting Liberty Leading the People.  I'm glad to see other satirical programs and entertainers stand with France, and that this horrible action isn't being ignored just because it didn't happen on American soil.  We know how shocked and horrified we'd be if something like this happened to The Simpsons or The Daily Show or The Onion, and even though many Americans probably never read Charlie Hebdo, we all celebrate the right of free speech and refuse to let terrorists take it away.  Hit the jump for The Simpsons image supporting Charlie Hebdo.

Via Time.

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