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As the horrific terrorist attacks unfolded in Paris, a symbol of peace began to circulate on social media.

The simple illustration was created by French artist, Jean Jullien, and features the Eiffel Tower merged with a peace sign. The image was first posted on Jean’s Twitter around midnight in Paris on Friday, and has since been shared by countless users across the ‘net.

While the illustration was adopted for t-shirts worn by mourners and signs at candlelight vigils, Jean spoke with Wired about how the image came to be, saying: The first thing that came to me was the idea of peace, that we needed peace. I was trying to look for a symbol of Paris, and obviously the Eiffel Tower was the first thing that sprang to my mind. I just connected both of them. You know, there wasn’t much work process behind that. It was more an instinctive, human reaction than an illustrator’s reaction.

Surprisingly, not every reaction has been positive – but Jean defended himself against allegations that he was merely attempting to profit from a tragedy: I didn’t do it to benefit from it in any way. It was my way of communicating with the people I know and showing that I was thinking about everyone affected in Paris. The fact that people shared it and used it, well, in a way that’s all for the better.

For more of Jean Jullien’s interview with Wired, click here.

SOURCE: Wired | PHOTO CREDIT: Instagram, Twitter

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