Charlie Hebdo draws global ire with ‘satire’ on Italian earthquake

Friday’s issue of controversial weekly dedicated a cartoon to last week’s deadly earthquake in central Italy

Infamous satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo has once again stirred a controversy.

The Friday’s issue of the controversial weekly dedicated a cartoon to last week’s powerful and deadly earthquake in central Italy which has so far claimed over 150 lives.

The drawing titled “Earthquake, Italian-style” depicts bloodied victims buried under layers of pasta. “Approximately 300 dead in an earthquake in Italy,” the cartoon says. “It is still unknown whether it shouted Allahu Akbar (God is Great in Arabic).” The cover features a vignette on the burkini controversy raging in France.



Mayor of Amatrice, the Italian town which was devastated during the August 24 quake, was quick to blast what he called the “unpleasant and embarrassing satire” by the controversial French weekly on the natural disaster.

“I'm sure it doesn't correspond to the real sentiment of the French people,” he said. “Irony is always welcome, but you can't satirise disasters and the dead. We will show the Italian people are a great people, during the emergency as during the reconstruction,” Gazzetta del Sud quoted mayor Sergio Pirozzi as saying.

Meanwhile many took to Twitter to express their anger against Hebdo, which has recently received threats after one of its issues mocked Muslims following the burqini ban in Cannes, France.

#CharlieHebdo has proven once again how they don't have respect for anyone.
This is not satire. pic.twitter.com/3zYbKHhdiU

— aleflilawalila (@aleflilawalila) September 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/NOriginalAddict/status/771665104861433856

#CharlieHebdo They hide themselves behind "satire". Leave your office, come here and stand in front of those people who've lost EVERYTHING.

— Bianca 🧡 (@_biancaburgio) September 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/iamanizzle/status/771673925474451456

https://twitter.com/protectheflames/status/771676271457734656

https://twitter.com/flashingsky/status/771678408975773696

Well the joke's on those who supported this garbage for so long. Are u still #CharlieHebdo ? But of course this time it's not about Islam.

— Ilham (@Hama_BD) September 2, 2016

#CharlieHebdo freedom of speech comes with a heavy price. Absolute scum working for this establishment.

— Rayan (@rofattah) September 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/epp_ts/status/771684019419447297