Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS TODAY angrily condemned France’s Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine for publishing cartoons on the Egypt plane crash in which 224 people died, most of them Russian tourists.
“In our country we can sum this up in a single word – sacrilege,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
This has nothing to do with democracy or self-expression. It is sacrilege.
The Kremlin spokesman called the cartoons “unacceptable” but said Russia would not make an official complaint.
One cartoon shows debris and human remains raining down on an armed IS militant, with the caption:
ISIS: Russian aviation is intensifying bombardments.
Another shows a skull with a pair of sunglasses hanging off it with the crashed plane in the background.
It is titled “The dangers of Russian low-cost airlines”, and the speech bubble says “I should have taken Air Cocaine,” a reference to a current scandal over French pilots smuggling drugs from the Dominican Republic.
Jihadist gunmen shot dead 12 people in an attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices in January, enraged at its cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.
On Russian-language Twitter, hashtags “Charlie Hebdo” and “I’m not Charlie” were among the top trends on Friday.
Writing on Twitter, the lower house of parliament’s international affairs chief Alexei Pushkov asked:
Is there any limit to Russophobia on the pages of Western media? As the whole world comforts us, Charlie Hebdo preaches its vile right to sacrilege.
Russian state television news gave lengthy coverage to criticism of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, which it did not show.
“It’s not satire but filthy mockery,” said the deputy speaker of the lower house, Ivan Melnikov, in televised comments.
“Is anyone else ‘Charlie’?” asked foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Facebook, referring to the message “Je Suis Charlie” circulated by the magazine’s supporters after the massacre.
But the magazine’s editor-in-chief Gerard Biard hit back, slamming the Kremlin for “using Charlie Hebdo to create a controversy where none exists — which is the usual manipulation you get from totalitarian regimes.”
Russian authorities had also tried to misrepresent it when Putin opponent Boris Nemtsov was shot near the Kremlin in February, he claimed.
“This is not new… They said he (Nemtsov) was killed because he supported Charlie Hebdo,” Biard told AFP, referring to claims that Moscow had attempted to deflect the blame onto Islamist militants.
This magazine is supposed to be irreverent. And we respect the values of democracy and freedom of expression which the Russian powers that be in this case do not.
Their argument about sacrilege is absurd. Are we supposed to no longer comment on the news in a different way or to say nothing more than it’s sad? If so that becomes a problem for freedom of expression.
The French foreign ministry had earlier said in a statement that “journalists are free to express their opinions in France, the authorities do not get involved.”
The cartoons, published on Wednesday, have not been widely covered in French media, which is accustomed to the magazine’s tendency to push the boundaries.
Both Washington and London say a bomb may have downed the Russian plane carrying tourists from the Sinai Peninsula resort of Sharm el-Sheikh while up until Friday,
Cairo and Moscow had sought to downplay the suggestion of an attack.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Interesting how the Journal and others have had no problem publishing these pictures but wouldn’t do it last year.
Puttin is right they shouldn’t be mocking mass murder.-,,,,,,,,,,,niall thats a good point._.
Maybe they decided against if last year because they didn’t like the odds of themselves and their families getting killed just so you could have a free article?
Yeah, well they’re in the wrong jobs then Neal and should make way for proper journalists.
Seems the Journal is more afraid of/respectful towards our Muslim brethren than respectful toward/sympathetic to fellow Europeans/Christians….and I think Charlie Hebdo were provocative to say the least…
Charlie Hebdo have the right to publish whatever muck they want, and we have the right to ignore or pour scorn on it. But to try and silence them completely – be it with legislation or assault rifles – is an affront to the notion of free expression.
Because last year they could have been sued for blasphemy as was threatened, this time there’s no religion involved.
Putin reckons they shouldn’t be mocking mass murder! Comedy or Sarcasm, only the reader can decide.
Niall if you’re not happy with Journal journalists f**k off and read something else.
@Niall – Well said Niall. This was my exact thought upon seeing this article. It shows what cowards the so called journalists in Ireland and the west, truly are.
Great point Niall, but that wouldn’t suit the Spin put on illegal immigration and how integration is supposed to be a good thing. We need Mosques on every corner so let’s not point out the evils of Islam.
I wonder if they would have published cartoons like this if it were a French or British plane. It seems like a cowardly way of attacking people they obviouly don’t like.
Putin should have think twice before bombing innocent civilians in Syria…That’s also called a mass murder
Bombing Jihadist Sc um montana.
Not in the slightest bit funny. Shame on them.
Freedom of expression.. Not nice but a fundamental right.
Scarce: It would be nice if France actually did value freedom of speech and didn’t pander to Zionists who want to criminalise not just a boycott of Israel but even expressing support of a boycott. As for Charlie Hebdo, they’re provocateurs and their satire is often devoid of any purpose but advocating that there should be legal restrictions on speech is much more insidious.
A French magazine is not France. And Israel is a democratic state.
Freedom of expression is one thing but disgraceful disrespectful behaviour is quite another. Hebdo strikes me as acting life a teenager trying to be as provocative as possible. Within a civil society knowing how to hold ones tongue and not be offensive to others is equally as important as freedom of speech. Rights come with responsibilities and Hebdo have forgotten that.
Who said it was funny?
FFS shut up about Zionists Monty. Broken record you and your Jew hating friends on here are. F’ck sake.
I’m sorry, however freedom of speech does not entail a responsibility to not be offensive. In fact freedom of speech protects your rights to be offensive if you so wish.
The only things it doesn’t protect you from are libel and bullying.
Niall: When did I mention Jews? Do you conflate Judaism with Zionism? That would be REAL anti-semitism.
Niall, you simply display your own predjudice by conflating Jews with Israeli government policy (of occupation, land theft and ethnic cleansing).
There are many Jews and Jewish based organisations campaigning against Israeli policy in the occupied territories of Palestine, including some Rabbis. But the massively financed Israeli propaganda machine, and spineless money grubbing media and politicians rarely, if ever, mentions them. Within Israel itself there is considerable opposition to the Zionist agenda.
But I don’t think you want to consider any of that, and are content to see 100s of Palestinian children blown to bits, and 1000s maimed for the ‘greater Israel’ expansion project.
@Scarce 9 Jutro. And all Sharia Law states are Apartheid states. That’s why they pay so well for internet shils here and other propagandists to accuse Israel of this to throw the heat off themselves.
Absolutely amazing how many otherwise sensible people miss out on this point.
—–allow themselves to be misled on this point——
This is just blatant mockery of victims with absolutely no satirical observations that I can see. Not funny or clever in any way. Being dicks just to get attention and then flashing the old freedom of speech card.
All for satire, but these aren’t even remotely funny. Offensive for offensive sake. Or indeed publicity sake.
agreed, how this can be called humor is beyond me. This is just sick,Did they make similar cartoons about the victims about their murdered staff?
I’m a big fan of satire but this is insensitive, a low blow.
Charlie Hebdo has always been insensitive, that’s kind of the whole point.
Theres insensitive and theres just pure tasteless. The worst thing about last years massacre is all the amount af not remotely funny charlie hebdo “cartoons” wehave been exposed to. Do these guys even know what funny is?
disgusting, so many families destroyed, shame on them
It’s funny how Russia are starting to look like the sane ones these days. . Funny, but a little scary.
Funny how people forget that Russia essentially saved us from the Nazis. No other country came near to the military and civilian losses suffered by the Soviet union. Over 20 million people.
They didn’t “save” Eastern Europe!
The Soviet Union was in ways worse than Nazi Germany. Some of the atrocities they committed were appalling.
Great name..better if double barrelled… Yeah,”saved eastern Europe”..Poland,GDR etc.
Anyone who thinks Eastern Europe was liberated is out of their mind. They merely transitioned from one brutal authoritarian occupation to another. Any anti-Soviet uprisings like in Hungary in 1956 were ruthlessly crushed.
No Gareth, Russia did not save ‘us’ from the Nazis, the Brits did aided by the Americans. The Nazis weren’t interested in Ireland. DeVerleras sheep would have ended up in which ever pen the Alsation or the Bulldog herdered us to. The unfortunate outcome is that our recent history is very much dominated in the main by the UK, Germany and the US. Not Russia.
Do you have any idea how many Russians were killed by Stalin after the war?
^@ fake avast
Fake..it’s late,just saw your post..yes,I know what the Einsatzgruppen did..and the SS,and the SD ,the auxiliaries, its my specialist subject…let’s do this another day…
I was referring to the collective ‘us’ but I’ve a feeling you knew that already.
@brendan that lies the russians advanced across europe. The allies had a minimal role Every dog on the street knows that. For verification look at the deaths and see who had the bulk.
@Wilburforce
Britain & America to name a few have committed terrible atrocities down the years. Most recently in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria etc. Britain has hundreds of years under its belt and America were at it in Vietnam as well and god knows where else. None of the big players are innocent.
America funded many CIA backed coups that crippled south America. The U.S covertly helped overthrow democratically elected leaders of entire countries and installed bloody gangsters. They’ve been doing it for decades whilst preaching peace and democracy.
How quick people are to forget that the Soviets actually started WW2 alongside the Germans by invading Poland, Latvia and Estonia.
They were in no way the ‘good’ guys.
So if they advanced across Europe, how come they stopped in Berlin? The amount of deaths on what ever side doesn’t determines who wins.
The Soviets defeated the germans in WW2 Jason.
Thjey also invaded poland in 1939 whkch is kinda why the french and British declared war. Ask all the Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, poles etc what they thought about soviet liberation.
Charlie Hebdo seem to think that they’re untouchable after the terrorist attacks. They’ve gone a bit too far on this one.
Nope.
Disgusting cartoon. Im with Putin.
Feel free to team up with the “Tyrant”
This magazine seeks to make money from the 224 families whose loved ones have gone forever. Je ne suis jamais Charlie.
Je be suis pas..
Je suis accord. C’est tres dommage pour La Russe et pour Le France. Incroyable!
Je suis Vlad de Inhaleur!
Putin right again, who’s Charlie now?
What has enda to say,this crap should be closed down.what about the families that lost loved ones,does not matter what nationality,they are all human beings. Disgraceful.
What has Enda got to do with it ffs?
How would it have gone down in France if some rubbish Russian satirical piece of journalistic rubbish had done something similar after the Paris atrocities?
Labelling it as ‘satire’ doesn’t make it ‘satire’.. They’re simply using it because it’s on the front page of the news and knew it would get them publicity through shock value. Satire and wit can be fantastic when used correctly but this is neither… Disgraceful!
the zionist owned hebdo magazine strikes again…………………..it seems there is an active agenda to provoke russia into a war.the russians have upset the west/nato with their actions in ukraine. now they are exposing the americans brits, saudis and israelis etc. in syria. they have made the warhawks unhappy….
think of what its like for all who had family members killed in the crash …………….a pure tragedy and less than a week later an international magazine is making fun of it
Still just freedom of expression
An abuse of freedom of expression.
A zionists owned magazine…..blah! blah! blah!!
Pathetic, insensitive, disrespectful nonesense. If your child did this you would tell them off. It’s not freedom of expression. It’s poor journalism trying to make money off the deaths of others.
Charlie Hebdo is part of a western-controlled zionist plot to provoke Russia into war?
Time to put that tinfoil hat on…
It is freedom of expression. It’s crass and insensitive but they’re still well within their rights to publish it.
Freedom of expression does not mean you can shout ‘Fire’ in a packed theatre Jason. Thus there are limits. Most adults recognise that fact. What would your reaction be if a Denis O’brien owned paper started publishing crap like this. Ours pathetic. While they have a ‘right’ to do it get are not taking their responsibilities into account.
The thing about shouting fire in a theatre is that it had the potential to cause panic amongst the theatre staff and patrons, which could result in injury and death as people try to escape from what they think is a life threatening situation. Which is why it is said that the freedom to shout the word “fire” is outweighed by the responsibility to not cause a pointless and potentially fatal stampede.
Offensive as these cartoons might be to some, this situation is nothing like that.
Try shouting bomb in an airport Jason and see how your freedom of expression goes down.
What featured on Charlie’s cover when concord crashed or when the Airbus A330 crashed into the sea
who owned the magazine then? people forget the sheer lack of real journalistic independence nowadays, like with that time o’brien stopped the sunday independent mid print when allegedly there was information unfavourable to him in it.
nowadays the media is used as a weapon of propaganda.
Nowadays? That has always been the case.
Hard to believe adults work for that puerile, unfunny rag.
Like it or not….public opinion on/toward Russia has changed..no more USSR,Soviet,Russian Bear,Communism,Red Army,now people see them as just humans.
They are humans. Just like anyone else.
If they are all about expressive journalism on major world events, where was the cartoon of dead journalists in the Charlie Heabo offices. I’m sure that would be too sensitive for them and Russian holidaymakers falling from a bombed airline is not.
Hebdo lol
They actually did do one if you bothered to look.
Russia complaining about cartoonists? How low that country has sunk…..
Je suis Charlie.
freedoms come with responsibilities too. one is not to cause danger to yourself or others. Charlie is a satire magazine and it operates under the freedom of the press that France provides . this set of cartoons are in poor taste for sure but where should limits be absolute?
I noticed they never published any satirical cartoons about the attack carried out on their own offices. Nobody in their right mind would have done this.
me and a friend are working on it actually.
“Swiss cheese charlie!” shouts one of the killers in one panel after shooting up the office.
The narrative is that one of the cartoonists hates his colleagues so much and thinks the whole magazine is so stupid that he gets the idea of making comics that offend muslims. Of course the idiots in the office think this is hilarious, and the rest is history.
They actually did make a cartoon about it. In fact it was one of the first they released after the attack.
Have you a link Jason?
I cant find any where they mock the victims, just ones making a statement about freedom of expression.
Putin isn’t mentioned in the article. Are you you implying hypocrisy? Has Putin publicly mocked a mass murder that I’m not aware of?
Above comment in relation to this post btw. Brendan Rogers – ‘Putin reckons they shouldn’t be mocking mass murder! Comedy or Sarcasm, only the reader can decide.’ The Journal tends to jumble up replies so they end up all over the place. Its a tad infuriating
Charlie is an idiot
Is in bad taste alright. Free speech is all well and good but being controversial or an ar..hole for no reason but to stir things s uncalled for. I’m sure if a Russian magazine ran joke cartoons of the Charlie hebdo massacre when it happened everyone would be outraged
Je ne suis pas charlie?
Tacky.
There is some tit for tat going on here. Russia Today lampooned (not only the comments) the recent bus crash in the South of France….
Spoofer enda has not come out to condemn it,he cannot be found.just like when DOB attacked our Constitution.
Why should he condemn it publicly? It’s an issue between the Russian and French states, nothing to do with Ireland.
You think Russia give a toss if Enda condemns it? What does that even mean anyway? Condemning stuff. It’s the most baseless insincere language used by politicians in situations where they either have no control or wish to have no real involvement in dealing with a situation. May as welll send an automated text message.
I’m all for freedom of expression. I firmly believe people should have the right to express their opinions as they see fit. However, with that right comes a degree of responsibility and maturity. Just because you have the right to say or publish something, does not make it the correct thing to do.
That’s it in a nutshell.
It’s clear these guys are just attention seekers.
Rest in peace to those innocent holiday makers. People who mock these events should be ashamed. Nothing new here, there are always people of low character lining up to mock innocent victims.
40% of Russians wont live to get their state pension because of alcohol poisoning. Putin ought be more disgusted with that and do something about it.Getting all upset over crap in a crazy magazine just shows how immature he really is.
I’am not Putin up with that.
abit too soon in my opinion. but it someway i think it spreads awareness to the situation.
I hope people are beginning to realize that Charlie Hebdo’s provocative cartoons are not a tribute to free speech, but an attempt to get a rise out of as many people as possible. They’re the print version of internet trolls. Just because you legally can do something, it doesn’t mean you should do it.
Have the French not surrendered yet?
I’am not Putin up with that.
Charlie Hebdo, the Viz comic of social satire only not as funny.
have your say