France doesn't have the same freedom of speech rights as the United States. For example;
The justice ministry has revealed that a number of fast-track custodial sentences have been handed down in cities across France in the past few days for expressions of support for the gunmen.
In Toulouse alone, three men in their early twenties have been jailed, two of them for 10 months, for shouting obscenities at police.
One threatened to attack police with a Kalashnikov while another said the Kouachi brothers were "just the start".
It was in Toulouse that Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah killed seven people in a series of attacks in 2012, including one on a Jєωιѕн school.
In Nanterre, east of Paris, a man was sent to prison for a year for posting a video on Facebook that mocked policeman Ahmed Merabet, who was shot at point-blank range by one of the Kouachis.
However;
Directly provoking or publicly condoning terrorism in France now commands a five-year jail term and a fine of €75,000. And if it is done online, the penalty can be extended to seven years and €100,000 (£76,000; $116,000).
What I would like to know is how the Charlie Hebdo people have been able to escape the fast track prison like some of the other people?