Extra! Luz 'Won't Be Charlie Hebdo Anymore'

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Libération, May 19, 2015

"I won't be Charlie Hebdo anymore, but I will still be Charlie," the cover headline in Tuesday's Libérationreads, quoting Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Luz, who has decided to leave the staff. Libération has hosted Charlie Hebdo since the January terror attacks that targeted the weekly, killing 12 of its employees. In an exclusive interview, Luz tells the newspaper that the pressure of his work, being a hero for the country and the constant media exposure are all "too much to bear."

Luz explains that it has become very difficult to work without his former team and often wonders "what Charb, Cabu, Honoré, Tignous would have done, and it's exhausting." Going back to work just two after the attacks was "too heavy," he says.

He notes that his departure has "nothing to do" with reported tension among the remaining Charlie Hebdo staff about how to proceed since donations and subscriptions poured in after the attack. The cartoonist now wants to "go back to a normal life."

ABOUT THE SOURCE: Libération is a left-wing daily newspaper located in Paris, founded in 1973.

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