Solidarity on social media for press freedom

Social media users are demonstrating solidarity with satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo after terrorist targeted its office in Paris Wednesday, killing 12 people.

Using the hashtage #JeSuisCharlie, many on Twitter are replacing their profile photo with a white-on-black image of the phrase, which translates to "I am Charlie," CNN reported.

By nightfall in Paris, tweets using the hashtag had been shared more than 500,000 times in all languages, posted from people across the globe.

Cartoonists and other artists are tweeting several cartoons that capture the outrage felt over the attack. One new Australian panel shows a gunman saying, "He drew first."

Journalists around the world expressed their sympathy and alliance with the principles Charlie Hebdo represents.

Instagram is also buzzing with shows of support for the magazine.

Benedicte Huot, who lives in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France, shared a tribute as part of the JeSuisCharlie movement on the site. "Today, liberty is very fragile, but for me liberty is the one," he said.

The US Embassy in France changed its Twitter avatar to the "Je suis Charlie" logo.

Some are tweeting "JeSuisCharlie" with photos of four of the victims, cartoonists for the magazine.

Despite the savagery that began the day, the Charlie Hebdo website ended the evening by displaying the "Je suis Charlie" phrase in many languages, including Arabic.

A small number of users wrote in support of the mass killings. One called it a defense of his religion. Another wrote it was a response to cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed and said people couldn't remain silent.

They used the hashtags that CNN translated to #We_Avenged_the_Prophet _of_God and #Paris_Is_Burning.