After outrage over caricature "Charlie Hebdo" mocks Switzerland again after fire tragedy
A cartoon by the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" about the fire disaster in Crans-Montana has sparked outrage in Switzerland - now the editorial team is following up with another drawing.
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- The satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" sparked outrage with a cartoon about the fire disaster in Crans-Montana and was criticized on social media as irreverent.
- The canton of Valais then filed a criminal complaint.
- In response, the magazine published a new drawing that takes up the dispute about the limits of press freedom.
Last week, the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" caused outrage with a cartoon. The drawing alludes to the fire disaster in Crans-Montana, in which at least 40 people died on New Year's Eve.
It shows two burning skiers skiing down a slope. The caption reads: "The burnt are skiing", a pun on the French cult film Les Bronzés font du ski ("The tanned are skiing") from 1979.
The image was quickly condemned on social networks as irreverent and offensive.
Shortly afterwards, the Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud received a criminal complaint against the "Charlie Hebdo" cartoonist Eric Salch - in addition to the complaint against the magazine. According to the co-authors of the complaint, the cartoon falls under Article 135 of the penal code, which defines the forms of depiction of violence.
Now the cartoonist is following up. On Monday, the magazine "Charlie Hebdo" published another cartoon. This time, the illustration shows two crossbowmen aiming at the editors of the weekly newspaper - with the comment: "Are we allowed to blaspheme with the Swiss?"
A reminder of their own fate
With the cartoon, "Charlie Hebdo" recalls its own fate. It shows the magazine's editorial offices being targeted by crossbowmen, in the style of a sinister William Tell.
The magazine plays with double meanings. The crossbow stands as a symbol for Switzerland - and at the same time evokes memories of a dark hour: the attack on the editorial offices of Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015.
Back then, two brothers, armed with assault rifles and acting on behalf of al-Qaeda, stormed the magazine's offices during an editorial meeting. Twelve people were killed, including the well-known cartoonists Charb, Cabu, Wolinski and Tignous.
The bloodbath was seen as a reaction to caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, which radical Muslims considered blasphemous. After the attack, Charlie Hebdo became a global symbol for freedom of the press - the motto "Je suis Charlie" went around the world.
Different reactions
The comments on "X" are varied. One user comments under the new cartoon: "Brilliant". Another just says: "haha".
Others think it's less funny. "Using your own suffering as a justification to mock the suffering of others is not a form of freedom, but an expression of intellectual dishonesty. Being a victim yourself does not give you the moral right to disregard the tragedies of others and shirk all responsibility," comments one user. "Pathetic", says another user.
"Charlie Hebdo" is known for provocative and often deliberately transgressive cartoons. The magazine regularly invokes freedom of the press and freedom of expression, but has been criticized several times in the past for depictions of real acts of violence or deaths.
