An anti-Charlie Hebdo protest in Karachi, Pakistan turned violent on Thursday when four people, including two journalists, were shot outside the French Consulate. The New York Times reports that it's not clear if the victims were wounded by protestors or police.

The protestors, many of whom were armed with guns, had come to the consulate to demand the "severing of diplomatic ties with France," according to the Times. After some protestors threw rocks at police, officers in riot gear responded with water cannons and tear gas, and shot their guns into the air.

The Pakistani government issued a statement on Thursday declaring the newest issue of Charlie Hebdo as hate speech. Protests have since erupted countrywide.

Via the New York Times:

The public reaction in Pakistan to the Charlie Hebdo shootings was initially muted, but it started to heat up on Tuesday when a cleric in the northern city of Peshawar led a small crowd that praised the killers, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, for having "defended the honor of the prophet of Islam."

On Friday, lawyers boycotted the courts in Peshawar and Multan, instead taking to the streets to protest. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, addressed a large rally in Lahore.

"It is time for us Muslims to unite," he said. "Otherwise, the West will continue with such acts."

Three of the four gunshot victims were taken to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, though their condition is unknown.

[Image via AP]