Hurricane Harvey victims portrayed as neo-Nazis on Charlie Hebdo cover

Freedom of speech is at the forefront of discussion once again.

By YOCHEVED LAUREN LAUFER
Updated: SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 09:30
A man poses with the new issue of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo at a cafe in Nice. (photo credit: REUTERS)
A man poses with the new issue of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo at a cafe in Nice.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The French satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo depicted the victims of Texas' Hurricane Harvey as neo-Nazis on the cover of their weekly magazine on Tuesday, with the text  "God exists, He drowned the neo-Nazis of Texas."
The magazine, known for their fight for freedom of speech and brazen cartoons, created a lot of buzz on social media for their artistic expression.
Lou Dobbs, television personality for Fox News, called the cover "disgusting," as many others were upset about the cartoon as well.

American Gunslinger, a firearm advocacy group, accused the French of forgetting history, saying that "22 Texans died in WWII [World War Two] fighting real Nazis."

Others however, saw a different picture and advocated for the basic right for freedom of speech.
Pakistani-American stand-up comedian and actor, Kumail Nanjiani, criticized the cover, but also took it as an "indication of how some of the world sees US right now."

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Ali Rzivi, author of the book The Atheist Muslim and Huffington Post blogger, criticized the American Right's condemnation of the cover and their reaction to the cartoon, calling them out on his Facebook page and describing them as "hyper-reflexive, triggered snowflakes complaining about hurt feelings." He also drew a comparison to the Right's reaction to Charlottesville criticism and their reaction to the magazine cover, saying that "Everyone should absolutely have the right to say what they want—and that includes neo-Nazis and the KKK—but this doesn't mean what they're saying is righteous. It also doesn't mean you can't speak up against them."
The cover comes after events in Charlottesville, Virginia last month, where white supremacists held a rally, causing world-wide uproar and leaving one woman dead.
This is just one of many controversial covers by Charlie Hebdo. After last month's deadly attack in Barcelona, the satirical magazine featured a cover depicting two people bleeding out on the floor as a van speeds off, with the text "Islam, eternal religion of peace."



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