The publication published a cartoon comparing the Queen of Great Britain with the murderer of African American George Floyd.
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French political satire magazine Charlie Hebdo has sparked anger over its new cover, which features Queen Elizabeth II around Meghan Markle’s neck. Thus, the magazine made a reference to the resonant murder of African American George Floyd in the United States, who was strangled by a policeman during his arrest. It is reported by The Guardian.
The scandalous cartoon of the magazine came out after an interview with the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Garrry, who spoke about racism in the royal family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. It is worth noting that the couple did not accuse Queen Elizabeth II of anything like that.
The published cartoon by Charlie Hebdo was titled Why Meghan Gone, in which the Duchess of Sussex replies, “Because I couldn’t breathe anymore.”
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Photo: Charlie Hebdo
The magazine’s cover sparked anger on both sides of the scandal, criticized by human rights activists and monarchists alike.
Halima Begum, executive director of the British think tank on racial equality Runnymede Trust, said it was “wrong on all sides.”
“The Queen as George Floyd’s killer standing around Meghan’s neck? Meghan says she can’t breathe? It doesn’t push boundaries, make anyone laugh, or challenge racism. It discredits the problem and insults across the board,” Begum wrote in Twitter.
“Is this the freedom of speech that Charlie Hebdo is so passionate about? Racism, disrespect and insults are passed off as satire? Sorry, but Je suis is not for me. This is racist bigotry and hate speech. Do your job better and finally grow up”, – wrote one of the users on Twitter.
Earlier, Prince William denied all accusations of racism, saying that the British royal family is “not a racist family at all.”
Also, adherents of the British crown were outraged by the way Queen Elizabeth II was depicted in the caricature – crooked, with hairy legs and red eyes.
In France, the Charlie Hebdo magazine is an important symbol of the country, not bound by religious or other rules. The magazine is viewed by some as provocative and inattentive to the serious problems faced by oppressed groups.
In 2015, 11 people, including the magazine’s editor-in-chief and leading cartoonists, were killed in an attack on headquarters in Paris. Brothers Said and Sheriff Quachi orchestrated the attack after the magazine published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
A few days later, a friend of the Amedi brothers, Coulibaly, took hostages and killed four people in a kosher supermarket in Paris. Charlie Hebdo re-released this cartoon last year.
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