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Reuters

Russians took to social media in large numbers over the weekend to denounce French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, after the Kremlin condemned as blasphemous its cartoons about the crash of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt.
The French magazine published two cartoons after a Russian passenger plane crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, killing all 224 people on board. Investigators are now “90 per cent sure” it was downed by a bomb, a member of the investigation team said on Sunday.
The first drawing showed a passenger’s skull, with the caption: “The dangers of Russian low cost” flights. The second showed the plane’s debris falling on an Islamist militant with the legend: “The Russian air force is intensifying its air strikes.”

VK, one of Russia’s largest social media networks, said on Sunday the magazine’s cartoons had been the most discussed topic by its more than 100 million active users over the weekend.
Russians took to other networks, such as Twitter, to express their anger too.
Insane cynicism and a mockery of the memory of the victims of this terrible tragedy
Anna Isayeva
“Insane cynicism and a mockery of the memory of the victims of this terrible tragedy,” wrote one Twitter user, Anna Isayeva.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday he thought the cartoons were “pure blasphemy” and had nothing to do with democracy or freedom of expression. Russian politicians lined up on state TV over the weekend to echo his criticism.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, used Facebook to ask “Is anyone still Charlie?”
It was a reference to the catch phrase “Je Suis Charlie”, used to express sympathy with the French magazine after Islamist gunmen killed 11 people at its Paris headquarters in January.
Her question had attracted almost 4,500 “likes” by Sunday evening and an avalanche of comments, many of them expletive-laden.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, also weighed in, saying he thought the cartoonists responsible for the two images were not humans.
Gerard Biard, Charlie Hebdo’s editor-in-chief, was quoted in French media as saying the accusation of blasphemy was “absurd”.
The French foreign ministry said in a statement on its web site that journalists in France were free to express their opinions, but that they did not reflect the views of the French government.
“We were among the first to express our condolences to the Russian people and authorities on Saturday, as soon as we learned of this terrible tragedy,” the ministry said.


‘Pure blasphemy’: Russians horrified by Charlie Hebdo plane crash cartoons

Debris of a Russian airplane is seen at the site a day after the passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg, Russia, crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Metrojet plane, bound for St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed 23 minutes after it took off from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday morning. The 224 people on board, all Russian except for four Ukrainians and one Belarusian, died. (AP Photo)

The aftermath of the crash. One Charlie Hebdo cartoon 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. Photo: AP

The cartoons which caused a backlash in Russia. Photo: Twitter

Egypt airport officials reveal porous security as bomb theory surrounds Russian jet crash

Tourists queue for security checks at Sharm el-Sheikh.Photo: EPA

The A321 plane of Metrojet from Sharm-el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg crashed in the Sinai, Egypt on October 31, killing all 224 people aboard.  Photo: EPA

Black box data points to bomb and ‘violent, sudden’ end on doomed Russian plane

The black box of Russian plane, MetroJet Airbus A321, showed "everything was normal' until both flight data and voice recorders failed 24 minutes after takeoff, suggesting “a very sudden explosive decompression.” Photo: Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP

A devastated scene in the aftermath of the mysterious crash in the Sinai peninsula. Photo: Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations via AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered flights to Egypt halted, although Moscow had previously downplayed reports that a bomb caused the crash. Photo: AP

Relatives place a wreath on the grave of Nina Lushchenko, a victim of the Russian MetroJet Airbus A321 crash. Photo: AFP

Passengers line up to depart from Sharm el-Sheikh Airport. Photo: AP

‘I don’t understand what’s happening’: Shock and denial at Russia airport after Egypt plane crash

Relatives react at Pulkovo international airport outside Saint Petersburg after a Russian plane with 224 people on board crashed in a mountainous part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015. Ambulances reached the site and began evacuating "casualties," officials and state media reported, without elaborating on their condition. The plane took off early in the morning from the southern Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh bound for Saint Petersburg in Russia but communication was lost 23 minutes after departure, officials said. AFP PHOTO / OLGA MALTSEVA

A couple embraces next to a flight information board at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, Russia, October 31, 2015. A Russian airliner carrying 224 passengers and crew crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Saturday, the Egyptian civil aviation authority said, and a security officer who arrived at the scene said most of the passengers appeared to have been killed. The Airbus A 321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia, was flying from the Sinai Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia when it went down in a desolate mountainous area of central Sinai soon after daybreak, the aviation ministry said. REUTERS/Peter Kovalev TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A woman reacts next to Russian Emergencies Ministry members at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, Russia, October 31, 2015. A Russian airliner carrying 224 passengers and crew crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Saturday, the Egyptian civil aviation authority said, and a security officer who arrived at the scene said most of the passengers appeared to have died. The Airbus A-321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia with the flight number 7K9268, was flying from the Sinai Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia when it went down in a desolate mountainous area of central Sinai soon after daybreak, the aviation ministry said. REUTERS/Peter Kovalev

Relatives react at Pulkovo international airport outside Saint Petersburg after a Russian plane with 224 people on board crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Photo: AFP

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‘Pure blasphemy’: Russians horrified by Charlie Hebdo plane crash cartoons

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