World

New Charlie Hebdo cartoon depicts Aylan Kurdi as sex offender in Germany

Has Charlie Hebdo gone too far with this one?

News Desk January 14, 2016

PHOTO: TWITTER

French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo has sparked another controversy by releasing a cartoon suggesting that if three-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi had survived, he would have grown up to be a sexual attacker.

The drawing was issued after German authorities said that nearly all the suspects in a rash of New Year’s Eve violence against women in Cologne were “of foreign origin”. Police said late Sunday that more than a week on from New Year’s Eve, some 516 complaints had been lodged, including 40 per cent that were related to sexual assault. Witnesses described terrifying scenes of hundreds of women running a gauntlet of groping hands, lewd insults and robberies in the mob violence.

German probe blames migrants for New Year's Eve violence

PHOTO: TWITTER

The newspaper, known for its controversial drawings, caused furore when the image drawn by Laurent Sourisseau, also known as "Riss," a longtime contributor to the newspaper and its current publishing director, suggested that if Kurdi had survived his journey to Europe, he would have become a “groper in Germany”.

Sourisseau was present when extremists attacked the publication's offices in January last year. That attack left 12 people dead; Sourisseau was shot in the shoulder.

#AylanKurdi: The three-year-old who broke the world's heart

This is not the first time the newspaper has mocked the death of the Syrian toddler. While the world mourned his death, Charlie Hebdo featured two drawings of young Kurdi who was found lifeless on a Turkish beach after a migrant boat capsized while trying to reach the Greek island of Kos.

Charlie Hebdo mocks death of Syrian child Aylan Kurdi

Many took to Twitter to convey their outrage at the cartoon.

A new low for Charlie Hebdo as cartoon suggests dead 3-year-old refugee Alan Kurdi would have become sexual attacker https://t.co/1eq2ieTWXn
— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) January 14, 2016

https://twitter.com/sunny_hundal/status/687307040243511296

https://twitter.com/Tayyxb/status/643485102421508096

There is nothing, absolutely nothing 'revolutionary' about Charlie Hebdo's latest cartoon, this is pure fascism. pic.twitter.com/cqGUMxuyWG
— Mahmoud (@MahmoudRamsey) January 13, 2016

https://twitter.com/MC_of_A/status/687336885233020928

Callous & racist by #CharlieHebdo tt the tiny #Syrian boy who drowned wud have grown 2sexually harass #German women. pic.twitter.com/aYczuXEolP
— Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) January 13, 2016

It's textbook racist imagery (not new to Charlie Hebdo) where the foreign, brown/black man is a threat to the white European woman.
— Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) January 13, 2016

I've seen people make legitimate defences of CH in the past, this latest cartoon invalidates every single one.
— Mahmoud (@MahmoudRamsey) January 13, 2016

https://twitter.com/nicolaskb/status/687270412162568192

https://twitter.com/the_itch1980/status/687365205580484609

https://twitter.com/angshukanta/status/687306224522498048

I hope that one day there will be war in your country, and you had to leave your homeland @Charlie_Hebdo_ #racist #charliehebdo
— Mine İşeri 〽 (@mineiseri) January 13, 2016

@chrisapplegate @rcp123456 All of the people who work at Charlie Hebdo are some of the most bigoted & racist people in the world, actually.
— Chris Erion (@TruthYoda) January 13, 2016

However, a few spoke out in defence of Charlei Hebdo:

@maitelsadany the cartoon mocks the versatility of the public opinion and the shift in the attitude towards migrants...
— Alexandre Habay (@alexhabay) January 13, 2016

https://twitter.com/jojowiththeflow/status/687361832974172160

https://twitter.com/jojowiththeflow/status/687363001402441728

COMMENTS (15)

Gibran oliver | 8 years ago | Reply While the satire is crude but in reality it depicts the mindset of german authorities claiming that all sexual incident are of " foriegn origin". Now tell me who is the real racist here ?

Ismail Ibrahim | 8 years ago | Reply <p>Charlie who? I am a journalist by profession and what hebdo is doing is disgusting, repulsive, ignorant and extremely foolish. What kind of people work there? When hebdo was attacked last year, I was against the attacks. Now, I'm more than sure that the attackers have my support. Death to hebdo. Death to poor journalism </p>

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GKA | 8 years ago | Reply @hamza khan: Clearly for you it is important to maintain a monopoly of the 'poor person' description which supports the victim narrative. . For me the poor people are also in my community - they are the 500 women who were assaulted, they are the Paris dead, they are the dead people in Charlie Hedbo offices. My community is not oppressed by the guilt of the three year old in the same way that UAE, Kuwait, and most of the muslim countries are not oppressed by the same guilt (and not taking in migrants). We in Europe now have to protect our neighbourhood It is no longer a few bad apples - come over hear and see the complete change in the crime graph. In my street itself and I am an upmarket technical professional), two women have been assaulted. if I add up the people I know, it adds up to scary numbers.

Naveed | 8 years ago | Reply Excellent,CH helping loose any sympathy after they were attacked,at least now no one will defend it as satire,joke being played on a dead baby,hopefully people will stop reading it

Rex Minor | 8 years ago | Reply Sourisseau was present when extremists attacked the publication’s offices in January last year. That attack left 12 people dead; Sourisseau was shot in the shoulder. This cartoon is the invitation to the extremists, living in no go areas all around the city of Paris, that Charlie Hebdo is once again fully operative. It would seem that Laurent Sourisseau has not seen the documentary film shown on the German television? . Rex Minor...............................!

ZAK | 8 years ago | Reply No human being who has true faith in Great revelation of God can even think about attacking women.

ZAK | 8 years ago | Reply Media is playing its dirty role in depicting wrong image of migrants. Only those are willing to migrate who can adjust themselved in Europe and are educated. German govt is under immense pressure due to its support for migrant. It is media who is creating hype and will cause conflict with migrants.

Rational among retards | 8 years ago | Reply Oh take a chill pill people... This is what satire is.. Even if its a little dark.. Nothing especially wrong with it.. If you want serious news, Don't read a satirical magazine. That's all.

hamza khan | 8 years ago | Reply @GKA: fear because of a couple of isolated incidents? your gov't must do a better job of screening migrant, but dont blame all of them for maybe what a few bad apples may have done. and to dishonor the poor 3 year old, absolutely disgusting. #boycott

GKA | 8 years ago | Reply @Abdullah: I also wonder why someone attacks them. Where and who condones killing except in self defense or to protect the weak ?

Vham | 8 years ago | Reply Are you too thick to realize that Charlie is reminding that not all refugees are gropers and is humanizing refugees by reminding Aylan incident. I guess you see what your brain wants you to see.

doom | 8 years ago | Reply This magazine is a rag, but it is the people who attacked them who have made them famous, and given them exactly what they want: attention and more power to cause offense. Let us try and go back to the time where no one knew they existed.

GKA | 8 years ago | Reply As a non mulsim living near the german border - please allow me to call this new Charlie piece as an example of complete and absolute rubbish I, and many along with me, have strong views against the current migration, and are feeling beseiged especially with incidents like Cologne and Paris. Our women are living in fear. But no need to do this. At the same time - no justification to physically attack Charlie again.

Bilal | 8 years ago | Reply Pathetic, all I can say.

Abdullah | 8 years ago | Reply Disgusting.... and they wonder why someone attacks them

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