Türkiye slams French magazine Charlie Hebdo for cartoon insulting President Erdogan

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye on Wednesday condemned French magazine Charlie Hebdo's cover cartoon insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the country’s May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Calling the magazine a “rag,” presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said now that it “has gone so crazy,” this means Türkiye is “on the right track. Evil is like that sometimes. It guides the good.”

On Twitter, he added: "Don't worry CH. Our nation will give you the best answer, with a louder voice, on May 28,” referring to the upcoming presidential runoff election. While Erdogan did not get the majority needed to win the first-round presidential race, leading to the runoff, he took a clear lead in round one.

Kalin’s remarks came after Charlie Hebdo carried a cartoon of Erdogan in a bathtub on its cover, referring to the 1978 death of popular singer Claude François (Cloclo) from an electric shock while bathing. Referring to Erdogan, it said: "Like Cloclo, only fate will save us from him."

Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also blasted the magazine.

"One of the most important centers of provocation, insults and blasphemy in the world media, the ugly publication Charlie Hebdo has once again proved to the world how disgusting it is with its latest moral and inhumane caricature of our president," he said.

Altun added that it seems that the "great success" of Erdogan in the May 14 elections "made these deprived of honor also lose their sleep, spread their sick moods and vomit their grudges and hatreds."

Altun said to the magazine and its ilk: “No matter what you do, you cannot intimidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan. You cannot turn us away from our path."

Millions of voters went to the polls on May 14 to elect the country's president and members of its 600-seat parliament.

Erdogan’s People’s Alliance won a majority in parliament, while the presidential race is headed to a second-round runoff on May 28, though Erdogan took the lead in round one.

Erdogan and his closest competitor Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and joint candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance, will face off in round two.

In years past, Charlie Hebdo has attracted controversy and condemnation for printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad as well earlier this year making light of Türkiye's Feb. 6 earthquakes, which killed over 50,000 people.