Offensive cartoons? Charlie Hebdo in hot water after French army helicopter crash deaths
- The French satirical weekly is regularly denounced by its targets for going too far
- But Charlie Hebdo’s editor defended the magazine’s ‘satirical spirit’
French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Sunday defended itself following outrage over cartoons about a deadly military helicopter crash in Mali, the day before a memorial service for the 13 dead soldiers.
The magazine, which was itself the target of a devastating attack by Islamic extremists in January 2015, published the cartoons on its website.
But Charlie Hebdo’s editor Laurent “Riss” Sourisseau defended the magazine’s “satirical spirit” on Sunday, while acknowledging the importance of the work of the French army.
The soldiers died last Monday when the two military helicopters in which they were travelling collided and crashed during a night-time operation in Mali against jihadists.
One of the five cartoons on Charlie Hebdo’s website showed French President Emmanuel Macron standing in front of a coffin covered with the French tricolour.