Charlie Hebdo sparks outrage over Turkey-Syria earthquake cartoon
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French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has once again stirred a controversy for its insensitive cartoon mocking the victims of the massive earthquake that hit Tukey and Syria, inviting global condemnation.
The magazine known for its racist and insensitive cartoons, published its ‘Cartoon of the Day’ on Twitter just hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed thousands in both the countries.
The drawing by artist Pierrick Juin showed collapsed buildings amid heaps of rubble with the caption: “No need to send tanks.”
The publication invited strong reactions from the social media users including public figures some calling the cartoon “disgusting”, “shameful”, “revolting” and akin to “hate speech”.
Ibrahim Kalin, a Turkish presidential spokesperson also condemned the cartoon tweeting ‘Modern barbarians! Suffocate in your hatred and grudges”.
American Muslim scholar Omar Suleiman said: “Mocking the death of thousands of Muslims is the peak of how France has dehumanized us in every way.”
The magazine had caused a controversy for its cartoon depictions of Prophet Muhammed in 2012 and in retaliation, two brothers claiming affiliation to al-Qaeda opened fire at its Paris headquarters, killing 12 people.
The attack triggered a global outpouring of solidarity with France and a debate on what constituted free speech.