By V4 Agency
The satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo featured another controversial caricature on its latest cover, drawing strong criticism from many. Some were simply angered by the drawing while others were prompted to send death threats.
Although the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo did not make a mockery of Islam, the magazine did receive new death threats. The caricature on the satirical weekly’s cover featuring Meghan Markle and Queen Elisabeth came days after Oprah Winfrey’s highly controversial interview with Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry. Among other claims, the couple accused the royal family of racism in the interview.
Charlie Hebdo’s cover shows Queen Elisabeth kneeling on Meghan Markle’s neck, suggesting that the Duchess of Sussex had to leave Buckingham Palace because she couldn’t breathe anymore. The image is a clear portrayal of the circumstances of George Floyd’s death, the incident that’s led to several Black Lives Matter protests in the United States last year.
The cover appears to have offended many. According to Dr Halima Begum, the director of the Runnymede Trust think tank, Charlie Hebdo’s move was “wrong on every level. This doesn’t push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge racism. It demeans the issues and causes offence, across the board.” Dr Begum wrote.
Some people posted mortal threats under the original tweet. A commenter sarcastically asked where Said and Cherif Kouachi were, because there would be a job for them. They were the two terrorists who broke into the magazine’s editorial office in 2015 and slaughtered several employees, leaving others wounded. Others wrote expletives about the families of Charlie Hebdo’s staff, adding that they deserved what had happened to them.