Artists Around The World Show They Won't Be Silenced By Terrorism After Charlie Hebdo Attack

Gunmen stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo -- a satirical newspaper headquartered in Paris -- leaving 12 dead Wednesday, including cartoonists Jean "Cabu" Cabut, Georges Wolinski and Bernard Verlhac (also known as Tignous), as well as the publication's editor/publisher Stéphane "Charb" Charbonnier.

In the immediate aftermath, illustrators and artists around the world were moved to express grief and frustration, showing solidarity with their slain colleagues in political cartoons aimed at defending freedom of speech, while also condemning religious extremism. Many of the visualizations capture the absurdity of the terrorist attack in a universal language -- cartoons.

Take a look at some of the most powerful images:

My drawing in support of Charlie Hebdo http://t.co/lVQafVVAzh via @washingtonpost

— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) January 7, 2015

Can't sleep tonight, thoughts with my French cartooning colleagues, their families and loved ones #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/LqIMRCHPgK

— David Pope (@davpope) January 7, 2015

#CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/15O4YC2KWg

— Ruben L. Oppenheimer (@RLOppenheimer) January 7, 2015

Charlie Hebdo. Nooit opzij. pic.twitter.com/MJwGKPQ8jU

— Joep Bertrams (@joepbertrams) January 7, 2015

RIP #CharlieHebdo cartoonists. My toon from 2010: pic.twitter.com/ahyyrlN57s

— Nate Beeler (@natebeeler) January 7, 2015

Horrible attack.Cartoonists across the world are uniting against bloodshed and violence. @ibnlive @cnnbrk pic.twitter.com/QtTe9INeU9

— Neelabh Banerjee (@NeelabhToons) January 7, 2015

#CharlieHebdo #JeSuisCharlie pic.twitter.com/GPCQK2EbbF

— Philip DeFranco (@PhillyD) January 7, 2015

C'est un drame pour la France... #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/lGfNUHfQIZ

— Cyprien (@MonsieurDream) January 7, 2015

#JeSuisCharlie pic.twitter.com/FPYIswn625

— MacLeodCartoons (@MacLtoons) January 7, 2015

I am devastated by what just happened in France. #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/IxEbScqYFh

— jean jullien (@jean_jullien) January 7, 2015

De tout coeur avec Charlie Hebdo. pic.twitter.com/8KwTipn3Wp

— PLANTU (@plantu) January 7, 2015

“My heart goes out to Charlie Hebdo.”

Hommage de notre dessinateur @na_dessinateur aux victimes de #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/2AgMZyc7Yq

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) January 7, 2015

Comment dessiner aujourd'hui ?
Comment ne pas dessiner aujourd'hui ? pic.twitter.com/cNtJY6e7MK

— Martin Vidberg (@Vidberg) January 7, 2015

“Today, I am a press cartoonist. Today, I am a journalist. Today, I draw for Charlie Hebdo.”

Atentado a Charlie Hebdo.
http://t.co/TBlz9pBuI7 pic.twitter.com/3UrweOEYK0

— Bernardo Erlich (@berlich) January 7, 2015

“The world has gotten so serious that humor has become a risky profession.”

#CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/YQpqs3nkaN

— Huzur İzlanda (@sahinbaran) January 7, 2015

#CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/jIBbrIShe8

— Francisco J. Olea (@oleismos) January 7, 2015

“To arms, companions!”

#CharlieHebdo : l'hommage de notre dessinateur Nono pic.twitter.com/CmTm41U1QH

— Le Télégramme (@LeTelegramme) January 7, 2015

“Died for the freedom of expression.”

Adieu Cabu, Wolinski, Tignous, Charb...le dessin de Zep. N'arrêtez jamais de dessiner. #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/F9KInDR8AL

— Adeline Francois (@a2linefrancois) January 7, 2015

#CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/GNh2ZAEArf

— Tommy dessine (@Tommydessine) January 7, 2015

“Oh no… not them…”

#CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/ay6ugiyvnd

— -Boulet- (@Bouletcorp) January 7, 2015

“Ducks [slang: newspapers] will always fly higher than guns.”

A 2012 cartoon by the @NewYorker - well worth remembering today #CharlieHebdo #ParisShooting pic.twitter.com/6gOnSwwRfC

— Shilpa Kannan (@shilpakannan) January 7, 2015