French Magazine Sparks Outcry For Depicting Meghan Markle As George Floyd
Image via FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has come under fire after featuring a controversial cover featuring Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle.
The cover shows Queen Elizabeth pressing her knee against Meghan Markle’s neck, with the caption, “Why Meghan left Buckingham.” Markle is seen lying on the ground saying, “Because I couldn’t breathe anymore.”
The cartoon mimics the death of George Floyd, a Black American man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last May. Officer Derek Chauvin was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes as Floyd pleaded for his life. He told Chauvin he could not breathe and eventually stopped moving.
Floyd’s killing sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the US.
Discussion of the cover surfaced on Twitter, with many social media users claiming it was offensive. Dr Halima Begum, CEO of UK-based racial equality think-tank Runnymede Trust, said the cover was “wrong on every level.”
Aurelien Mondon, a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Bath, said the magazine “is a racist rag and has been for a very long time.”
The cover comes after an interview broadcast last week, in which Markle told Oprah Winfrey why she and Prince Harry stepped down from their royal duties.
According to CNN, an unnamed member of the royal family had made racist remarks about her son Archie’s possible skin color before his birth. Buckingham Palace said the issues raised in the interview were “concerning” and the royal family would deal with them privately.
French magazine Charlie Hebdo mocks George Floyd's murder and Meghan's racism concerns. The cover reads: 'Why Meghan left Buckingham Palace', 'Because I couldn't breathe'. pic.twitter.com/3Fuj789xn7
— Nadine White (@Nadine_Writes) March 13, 2021
#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong on every level. The Queen as #GeorgeFloyd's murderer crushing Meghan's neck? #Meghan saying she's unable to breathe? This doesnt push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge #racism. It demeans the issues & causes offence, across the board. pic.twitter.com/ptNXs8RtuS
— Dr Halima Begum (@Halima_Begum) March 13, 2021
Is this the free speech that Charlie Hebdo is so passionate about? Racism, disrespect and offence passed off as satire? I’m sorry but no Je suis for me. This is nothing but racist bigotry and inciting hate. Do better with your platform and grow up. pic.twitter.com/Id6hL53p2G
— Yasmeen (@yasminnoir) March 13, 2021
And don't tell me it's got anything to do about some kind of satire only the French understand
— Aurelien Mondon (@aurelmondon) March 13, 2021
I'm French and can see it as racist - if you can't it's not that you have some sophisticated sense of humour, it means you think racism and punching down is funny, full stop. 🤷♂️
If people frequently widely "misinterpret" (I think that's a very generous explanation of people's legitimate reactions to this kind of horrible imagery) your cartoons and "misidentify" the "real" targets, then the problem is obviously with the author, not the audience.
— Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) March 13, 2021
[via Insider, cover image via FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com]
