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Nicolas Batum honors Charlie Hedbo victims during warmups (Photo)

ByPhil Watson|
Jan 8, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum (88) wears a shirt in support of the victims of the attack on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdoat during warm-ups before a game against the Miami Heat the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum (88) wears a shirt in support of the victims of the attack on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdoat during warm-ups before a game against the Miami Heat the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers, one of six Frenchmen in the NBA, honored the victims of Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Paris that left 12 dead.

Twelve people were killed Wednesday when gunmen stormed the Paris offices of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. One of six active NBA players from France honored the victims — who included four prominent cartoonists at the weekly — with a T-shirt worn during warmups.

Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers sported this shirt, captured by Erik Gundersen of The Columbian and shared via Twitter:

The shirt translates to “I am Charlie,” a slogan adopted by supporters of free speech and freedom of expression in the wake of the attacks at Charlie Hebdo.

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The slogan went viral on social media and Batum—in much the same way NBA players donned “I Can’t Breathe” shirts last month in response to the death of Eric Garner in police custody in New York—showed his support for the cause in his apparel.

Nov 30, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey (12) and wide receiver Tavon Austin (11) and tight end Jared Cook (89) and wide receiver Chris Givens (13) and wide receiver Kenny Britt (81) put their hands up in a protest to the shooting of Michael Brown (not pictured) in Ferguson, Mo. before the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey (12) and wide receiver Tavon Austin (11) and tight end Jared Cook (89) and wide receiver Chris Givens (13) and wide receiver Kenny Britt (81) put their hands up in a protest to the shooting of Michael Brown (not pictured) in Ferguson, Mo. before the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Players from the NFL also joined in that protest, as well as five players from the St. Louis Rams coming out during pregame introductions with their hands raised in the “stop, don’t shoot” pose to remember Mike Brown, killed by a policeman in Ferguson, Mo., last summer.

LeBron James and the Miami Heat donned hoodies for a team photo in 2012 after the death of Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed by an armed neighborhood crime-watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla.

Some fans don’t care for players speaking out on social issues—claiming they are politicizing an activity that many fans use as an escape from that very sort of thing—but it is a form of expression that has taken rise at various times throughout at least the recent history of sports.

American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raised their black-gloved fists in a Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City at a time when the civil rights fight in this country was very much ongoing.

Apr 27, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Jared Dudley (9, left), forward Blake Griffin (32, center), and forward Danny Granger (33, right) wear their warm up shirts inside out before game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 118-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Jared Dudley (9, left), forward Blake Griffin (32, center), and forward Danny Granger (33, right) wear their warm up shirts inside out before game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 118-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Last spring, the Los Angeles Clippers wore their warmup jerseys inside out to protest racial remarks by former owner Donald Sterling.

In 2010, the Phoenix Suns wore their Spanish-themed “Los Suns” jerseys in protest over the state of Arizona passing an immigration policy that critics said encouraged racial profiling by police, per a report last month from NPR.

The Associated Press is reporting that a member of al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen directed the attacks on the magazine.

The magazine became a target of Islamic extremists for its portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad in its cartoons. Charlie Hebdo also regularly lampoons the Catholic and Jewish faiths as well as French politicians—it is an equal opportunity satire vehicle.

It can’t be said enough—not all Muslims are extremists, no more than members of any other mainstream religion are.

But attacks such as these do have an effect on free speech and freedom of expression because they create a legitimate fear of reprisal.

Of course, with government officials in our own country seeming to be blissfully unaware of just how the First Amendment works here, it can leave a certain fear that the freedom to express ourselves will continue to be eroded through outbursts of violence and through the ignorance of those who are supposed to know better.

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