Charlie Hebdo may face legal action over cartoons

The controversial French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo may face legal action for inciting hate crimes after publishing cartoons about drowned Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi in its latest issue.

The first cartoon shows a clown and what appears to be the toddler with a sign: “Welcome immigrants, so close to his goal. Promotion: Two children for the price of one.”

Charlie Hebdo Mocked The Death Of Syrian Kid Aylan Kurdi http://t.co/v9npZ8zSBH

— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) September 14, 2015

The second cartoon, “Proof that Christians walk on water” shows a man supposedly resembling Jesus walking on water as a partially submerged child says “Muslim children drown.”

https://twitter.com/Tayyxb/status/643485102421508096

Heart-rending photos of the toddler’s lifeless body washed ashore on a Turkish beach last week sparked global horror and debate on refugees.

The magazine’s cartoons sparked outrage on social media.

Peter Herbert, chair of the Society of Black Lawyers, tweeted that the group would consider reporting Charlie Hebdo’s actions as “an incitement to hate crime & persecution before the International Criminal Court”.

The Society of Black Lawyers will consider reporting this as incitement to hate crime & persecution before the International Criminal Court

— D Peter Herbert OBE (@herbert_donald) September 14, 2015

He continued:

Charlie Hebdo is a purely racist, xenophobic and ideologically bankrupt publication that represents the moral decay of France.

— D Peter Herbert OBE (@herbert_donald) September 14, 2015

In January, armed men who identified as being members of al-Qaeda stormed the magazine’s Paris offices, killing 11 people in the building and injuring another 11.

The magazine had published images mocking Prophet Muhammad.

A manhunt ensued and several  related attacks followed in the Île-de-France region, where a further five people were killed and 11 wounded.