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

Has Charlie Hebdo gone too far with this one?

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.



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.



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.



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