The new cover of the French satirical magazine shows Queen Elizabeth pressing her knee against Meghan Markle’s neck.
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was criticized after publishing a controversial cover, which several users of social networks described as racist and in bad taste.
The cover shows Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom pressing her knee against Meghan Markle’s neck, with the caption: “Why Meghan left Buckingham”.
Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry’s wife are seen lying on the floor saying, “Because I couldn’t breathe anymore.”
The drawing mimics the scene in which George Floyd, a black American, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last May. Videos shared online at the time showed officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd begged for his life, saying he couldn’t breathe and then stopped moving.
Floyd’s death sparked a wave of Black Lives Matter protests in the United States against police brutality and racial injustice, with protesters taking to the streets of cities around the world in solidarity. Minneapolis agreed this week to pay Floyd’s family $ 27 million to settle a lawsuit over this death.
Markle is biracial; his mother is black and his father is white. After getting married in 2018, Markle and Prince Harry left their royal duties and are now living in California.
In an interview broadcast last week, Markle told Oprah Winfrey why she and Prince Harry gave up their royal duties. She accused an unidentified member of the royal family of making racist comments, saying the concerns were conveyed to her husband about how dark her son Archie’s skin would be before he was born.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement this week that the issues raised in the interview were “worrying” and that the royal family would deal with them in private.
The discussion of the cover was widespread on Twitter on Saturday, with several users saying it was offensive.
Dr Halima Begum, CEO of Runnymede Trust, a UK-based study group on racial equality, said the cover was “wrong at all levels”.
#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong at all levels. The queen as #GeorgeFloydthe killer crushing Meghan’s neck? #Meghan saying that she can’t breathe? It doesn’t cross the line, doesn’t make anyone laugh or #racism. This lowers the problems and causes offense in every way. pic.twitter.com/ptNXs8RtuS
– Dr. Halima Begum (@Halima_Begum) March 13, 2021
Is this the freedom of expression that Charlie Hebdo is so passionate about? Racism, disrespect and offense taken as satire? I’m sorry, but no Je suis for me. This is nothing more than racist intolerance and hate speech. Do better with your platform and grow. pic.twitter.com/Id6hL53p2G
– Yasmeen (@yasminnoir) March 13, 2021
Aurelien Mondon, senior professor of politics at the University of Bath, said the magazine “is a racist rag and has been for a long time.”
Charlie Hebdo is a racist rag and has been for a long time
Saying that does not mean tolerating the 2015 attacks or being against free speech. It simply means being against racism
To ignore is to be an accomplice and to play well in the hands of all those who seek to divide us
– Aurelien Mondon (@aurelmondon) March 13, 2021
Without getting too into the debate about Charlie Hebdo again, if you have to continually explain that your “satire” is not racist and is not attacking, then it is not a very good satire, no matter the tradition. comes from, French or not.
– Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) March 13, 2021