Paris terror attacks: #JeSuisCharlie sweeps Twitter as cartoonists show solidarity

A drawing depicting Charlie Ebdo staff who were killed in the terror attack. Photo / AP

Artists around the world respond to the Charlie Hebdo shooting as #JeSuisCharlie sweeps Twitter.

Artists around the world have been responding to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, while social media users changed their avatars and tweeted out poignant images in solidarity with victims of the massacre.

At least 12 people were killed and five seriously injured after masked men stormed the offices of Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo at around midday on Wednesday.

The incident is France's deadliest terror attack in at least two decades.

French president François Hollande said the shooting was "undoubtedly" a terrorist attack.

It is thought one motivation for the attack may have been some of the controversial cartoons the magazine has published, including some caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed. However, no group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for the attack and the gunmen remain at large.

Twitter users shared several of these moving cartoons as a tribute to the victims of the killings.

Cartoon tweeted by Australian cartoonist David Pope

Cartoon tweeted by Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff

Cartoon tweeted by French cartoonist Jean Jullien

Cartoon tweeted by Dutch cartoonist Joep Bertrams

The cartoon for French daily Le Monde read "all hearts with Charlie Hebdo".

The newspaper wrote: "Le Monde expresses its amazement and indignation, solidarity with the team of Charlie Hebdo and condolences to the victims' families.

"Attacking our colleague is an attack on freedom of thought and expression, and thus the founding values ??of our society.?Le Monde has continued since these values since its creation in 1944."

Cartoon from Le Monde by French cartoonist Plantu

Separately the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie (which means "I am Charlie" in French) began trending worldwide on Twitter around an hour after the news of the shootings broke.

British satirical publication the Daily Mash changed its Twitter profile picture to 'Je Suis Charlie', while German newspaper Bild were among hundreds of thousands who tweeted out the image and the hashtag. The US embassy in France also changed its Twitter profile picture to "Je Suis Charlie".

- The Independent