Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – In the aftermath of the catastrophically tragic earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria on February 6, French magazine Charlie Hebdo has released a distasteful, insensitive tweet mocking the earthquake that has claimed the lives of over 5,000 people.
Posting on the day of the quake, Charlie Hebdo tweeted an illustration of rubble showing crumbling buildings and an upturned car. Under the insensitive subheading “cartoon of the day,” it reads “Earthquake in Turkiye.” At the bottom of the controversial drawing, the Charlie Hebdo artist wrote: “No need to send those tanks.”
The drawing not only mocks the horrific and traumatic situation that is still unfolding in the southern region of Turkiye and on the Syrian border, but it also applauds the damage that the quake has left behind. In essence, it fails to show respect and humanity to those who have lost their loved ones under the rubble or those who are still desperately searching for their family.
Charlie Hebdo’s tweet has had over 11 million views and 500 retweets, with many Twitter users leaving outraged comments and calling out the French outlet over its brazen disrespect for the memories of the dead as well as its shameful dismissal of the pain of aggrieved families.
One Turkish commenter posted an image of a man saving a child from the rubble with the caption: “This is your civilization! Humor and hatred over the suffering of others! Thousands of children are dying. God damn you!”
Recalling that many people around the world sympathized with the French outlet when it was hit by a tragic terrorist attack in 2015, another Turkish Twitter user fumed: “Today you dare to make fun of the suffering of an entire people. You really have to have some nerve to do this when there are still babies waiting for help under the rubble.”
Sports journalist Frukan Bozoglu inserted an image of “Charlie Hebdo” written on toilet paper.
Image of Turkish sports journalist tweet.
Rescue missions are still ongoing in the two countries as more bodies are being pulled from beneath collapsed buildings in the wake of the earthquake.
Authorities have suggested there could be as many as 13.5 million victims, thousands of whom have incurred injuries. In Syria, the death toll has exceeded 1,600 people.
This is not the first time Charlie Hebdo has been pulled up on its hateful content.
In October 2020, the French outlet published caricatures insulting the Prophet Muhammad. The offensive images were projected on some buildings in French cities, sparking outrage across France and campaigns in Muslim-majority countries calling for boycotting French products.
