Through a Special Arrangement with the American Booksellers Association, Powell’s and Broadway Books Will Stock Charlie Hebdo

• Fund for Charlie Hebdo and the Families of the Attack Victims on Leetchi.com

After the January 7 attack on the the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the American Booksellers Association announced via press release that it was “exploring the logistics” of bringing copies of the magazine to US bookstores. This week, Broadway Books and Powell’s both sent out announcements that they’ll be stocking the January 14 commemorative edition of Charlie Hebdo, thanks to the ABA, which, making good on its word, has provided a limited quantity for sale in indie bookshops.

In a press release sent today, Powell’s CEO Miriam Sontz touted Powell’s history of support for free speech in the decision to stock the magazine, saying, “In 1989, Powell’s made the decision to continue to carry Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, even though a religious edict had been issued that called for the author’s death. The first amendment is at the heart of Powell’s values… As booksellers and citizens, we are sometimes called upon to uphold this principle. This is one of those times.” The statement also specified that proceeds from copies of Charlie Hebdo purchased at Powell’s will go to a relief fund for the families of the victims of the attack, on the French crowd-funding site Leetchi.com. So far, that fund has raised over 150,000 euros.

Broadway Books’ announcement, made earlier this week through their newsletter, took a more pragmatic approach, emphasizing the importance of free speech while clarifying that, “We are selling these editions not necessarily because we agree with everything expressed in the magazine nor because we think it is always in good taste, but because we believe at our very core that freedom of speech demands at the very least that people not have to risk their lives merely because someone disagrees with what they say in print or how they express it.”