French satirical weekly magazine, 'Charlie Hebdo' is once again stirring controversy, this time after depicting a series of cartoons with reference to the current refugee and migrant crisis in Europe: a flood of immigrants mainly from Muslim war zones such as Syria and Iraq.
The magazine first gained its symbol of freedom of speech after it was targeted by Islamist militants back in January, in a deadly attack on the Parisian offices, following the mockery published with regards to the Prophet Mohammed in their published cartoons.
Now, the latest publication has turned heads once again, in fact two illustrations have galvanised world attention. One drawing plays on the upsetting photo of three-year old Aylan Kurdi, a drowned Syrian child whose body was washed up on a beach in Turkey, with a promotional billboard standing in the background, displaying two children's meal menus for the price of one, with the caption saying, "So close to making it…” Another cartoon shows a Jesus-like figure walking on water and another smaller figure wearing shorts (presumably meant to be Aylan’s) turned upside down in the water. The former saying "Christians walk on water" and the latter "Muslim children sink" are also added to the depiction.
Months ago, the slogan "Je Suis Charlie", or "I am Charlie", resounded around the world, but now, many social network users vented fury and disturbance over the new cartoons, trending a new Twitter hashtag — #JeNeSuisPasCharlie (I Am Not Charlie).
Whilst newspapers from all over the world criticized Charlie Hebdo for their disrespectful act of mockery surrounding the death of the Syrian toddler's cartoon, many other media outlets stopped short of condemning the French press. Additionally, some argue that the cartoons are not there to mock the dead child, but instead they are using the tragedy to ridicule Europe for not doing enough to prevent it. However, the magazine could eventually face further consequences for its latest work.
