French satirical magazine Charle Hebdo has once again triggered a controversy after posting an caricature of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a strong reference to Prophet Mohammad on its front-page.The cartoon shows Erdogan in a t-shirt and underpants, drinking a can of beer and lifting up the skirt of a woman wearing a hijab.The cartoon is titled: "Erdogan: in private, he's very funny".The cartoon has sparked massive outrage in Turkey.
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Presidential spokesperson Fahrettin Altun took to Twitter to say: "French President Macron's anti-Muslim agenda is bearing fruit! Charlie Hebdo just published a series of so-called cartoons full of despicable images purportedly of our President. We condemn this most disgusting effort by this publication to spread its cultural racism and hatred."Turkey Vice President Fuat Oktay said, "You cannot deceive anyone by hiding behind freedom of opinion! I condemn the immoral publication of the inexcusable French rag about our President.""I call on the moral, conscientious international public to speak out against this disgrace."Reiterating Ankara's position, he said: "We will not remain silent in the face of disgusting attacks on our culture and religion no matter where it comes from."The latest provocation comes amid escalating faceoff between Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders after the beheading of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty by a suspected Islamist attacker this month.Macron vowed that France would stick to its secular traditions and laws guaranteeing freedom of speech which allow publications such as the virulently anti-religion Charlie Hebdo to produce cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
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