Outcry as Charlie Hebdo portrays Meghan Markle as George Floyd | Black Lives Matter News
The new cover of the French satirical magazine shows Queen Elizabeth pressing her knee against Meghan Markle’s neck.
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo came under fire after posting a controversial cover, which several social media users described as racist and disgusting.
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 the wife of British Prince Harry are seen lying on the floor saying: “Because I couldn’t breathe.”
The cartoon mimics the scene where George Floyd, a black American, was kill 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 as Floyd pleaded for his life, telling him he couldn’t breathe, then stopped moving.
Floyd’s murder sparked a wave of Black Lives Matter protests across 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 for the death.
Markle is biracial; her mother is black and her father is white. Markle and Prince Harry married in 2018 and now live in California.
The discussion of the cover was widespread on Twitter on Saturday, with several users saying it was offensive.
Dr Halima Begum, CEO of the Runnymede Trust, a UK-based race equality think tank, said the coverage was “flawed across the board”.
#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong at all levels. The queen as #GeorgeFloydMeghan’s murderer crushes the neck? #Meghan saying that she is unable to breathe? It doesn’t push boundaries, doesn’t make anyone laugh or challenge anyone #racism. He belittles problems and provokes offense at all levels. pic.twitter.com/ptNXs8RtuS
– Dr Halima Begum (@Halima_Begum) March 13, 2021
Is it the freedom of expression that so fascinates Charlie Hebdo? Racism, disrespect and offense passed for satire? I’m sorry but no I’m for myself. It is nothing but racist bigotry and incitement to hatred. Do better with your platform and grow. pic.twitter.com/Id6hL53p2G
– Yasmeen (@yasminnoir) March 13, 2021
It’s disgusting! So nobody in the editorial team thought it was inappropriate to print? #ShowRacismTheRedCard https://t.co/UpbPR30yvU
– Seth Joez (@ sethuj24) March 13, 2021
Charlie Hebdo is a racist rag and has been for a very long time
Saying so does not mean forgiving the 2015 attacks or being against free speech. It just means to be against racism
To ignore it is to be an accomplice and to play in the hands of all those who seek to divide us
– Aurélien Mondon (@aurelmondon) March 13, 2021
Without getting too deep into this Charlie Hebdo debate, if you have to continually explain that your “satire” is not racist and is not overwhelming, then it is not very good satire, no matter what the tradition. comes from, French or not.
– Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) March 13, 2021
In an interview that aired last week, Markle told Oprah Winfrey why she and Prince Harry stepped down from royal duties. She accused a member of the royal family made racist remarks, saying her husband was concerned about the dark color of his son Archie’s skin before he was born.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement this week that the issues raised in the interview were “concerning” and that the Royal Family would deal with them in private.
