Charlie Hebdo's defiant new issue sold out before dawn around France, with scuffles at kiosks in Paris over dwindling copies of the paper featuring the Prophet Mohammed on its cover. Copies of the latest edition are being offered on eBay for £5,000.

Charlie Hebdo sold out
A handwritten sign at a newsstand, which reads "No more Charlie Hebdo", is displayed after it sold out its limited stock in Paris John Schults/Reuters
Charlie Hebdo sold out
A long queue forms outside a kiosk in Saint Germain-en-Laye as people wait to buy a copy of Charlie Hebdo Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
French media websites knocked offline
People queue to get a copy of Charlie Hebdo's new issue at a kiosk in Paris Stephane Mahe/Reuters

The latest issue had a print run of three million – more than 50 times the usual circulation.

The new issue vanished from kiosks immediately. Some newsstand operators said they expected more copies to arrive on Thursday.

Charlie Hebdo sold out
A sign which translates as "Charlie Hebdo Sold Out. Next deliveries on Thursday, Friday and Saturday" is displayed at a newsagents in Strasbourg Frederick Florin/AFP
Charlie Hebdo sold out
Parisians queue at a newspaper kiosk to buy a copy of Charlie Hebdo only to find it is sold out Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Charlie Hebdo sold out
A woman signs a waiting list for the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo at a news kiosk in Paris Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The newsagent at Gare du Nord rail station said it opened at 5:15 am local instead of the usual 6:00, and its 200 copies sold out in less than 15 minutes.

A kiosk near the Champs Elysees that opens at 6am, was sold out by 6:05. Another, near Saint-Lazar, reported fights among customers.

In Charenton on the eastern edge of Paris, queues formed in the early morning darkness at the normally quiet newspaper stand near the metro, until people got closer to a notice by the door saying "Charlie Hebdo: none left".

Charlie Hebdo
The new edition of Charlie Hebdo is prepared for delivery at a press distribution centre in the suburbs of Paris Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
Charlie Hebdo sold out
Parisians queue at a newspaper kiosk to get their copies of the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
charlie hebdo survivors issue
A newstand in France announces that it has no more copies of the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo in stock Reuters

"Distributing Charlie Hebdo, it warms my heart because we say to ourselves that he is still here, he's never left," said Jean-Baptiste Saidi, a van driver delivering copies before dawn.

The front page of Charlie Hebdo's January 14 edition shows a cartoon of a tearful Prophet Mohammed with a sign "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) below the headline: "Tout est pardonné" (All is forgiven).

Charlie Hebdo sold out
Leng Ong and his colleague Gilles Bonnet show their remaining copies of Charlie Hebdo after five minutes of sale at their kiosk in Saint Germain-en-Laye Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Charlie Hebdo sold out
Customers wait for Pigalle newsstand in Paris to open Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

All proceeds from the sale of this week's edition will go directly to Charlie Hebdo, in a windfall for a publication that had been struggling financially, after distributors decided to waive their cut.

Related