Name spelt wrongly on Charlie plaque
Spelling error mars commemorations for Paris terror attacks – but social media sees Wolinski’s joke
THE start of commemorations for last January’s terror attacks has been marred by a spelling error on a memorial plaque unveiled by President Hollande and Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo at the former Charlie Hebdo offices – with the name of one of the victims spelt wrongly.
When the plaque was revealed the widow of Georges Wolinski immediately turned to Ms Hidalgo and said her husband’s name was wrong: it had been spelt Wolinsky.
The plaque unveiled in Rue Nicolas-Appert, in the 11th arrondissement, carried the words:
Frédéric Boisseau, Franck Brinsolaro, Cabu, Elsa Cayat, Charb, Honoré, Bernard Maris, Mustapha Ourrad, Michel Renaud, Tignous, Georges Wolinsky (sic)
Today it had been repaired with some mastic and a new version of the plaque is being made but Mrs Wolinski said she was initially “stunned then angry” at the error.
Social media users immediately latched on to the foul-up and Marianne dubbed it “Wolinski’s last joke” – but when Front National’s Gilbert Collard tweeted that the government was “toujours à côté de la plaque” (always wide of the mark) – in a pun on the word plaque - another user slapped him down, asking him why so many users misspelt his name with two ‘n’s (to give connard – or ‘idiot’).
Mr Hollande and Ms Hidalgo later also unveiled plaques to other victims with one near the Charlie Hebdo offices for policeman Ahmed Merabet, who was killed trying to stop the gunmen, and another at the Hyper Cacher Jewish cash and carry at Porte de Vincennes, which carried the names of Philippe Braham, Yohan Cohen, Yoav Hattab and François-Michel Saada, who were killed in the attack there.
Another plaque will be unveiled by Mr Hollande on Saturday morning in Montrouge in memory of Police Municipale cadet Clarissa Jean-Philippe, who was killed by one of the Hyper Cacher attackers.
French President unveils plaque to #CharlieHebdo victims with typo in cartoonist's name #Wolinski pic.twitter.com/biRS5yqeEF— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 5, 2016
Ah ah, je ris... Cette capture d'écran va illuminer ma journée ! Merci @Arnaudbedat ! #Wolinski #twitter pic.twitter.com/jJhNRYLkgR— Rom@in AMBRO (@RomainAMBRO) January 5, 2016
