Charlie Hebdo under fire for cartoon of the Queen and Meghan Markle

The cover features a caricature of the Queen, acting as the Police Officer who killed George Floyd last year.
The cover features a caricature of the Queen, acting as the Police Officer who killed George Floyd last year. Photo credit: Charlie Hebdo

French magazine Charlie Hebdo is in trouble for it's latest magazine cover, which depicts Meghan as George Floyd, and the Queen as the policeman who suffocated him to death. 

The publication has a reputation of causing outrage, with the latest addition coming in the wake of Oprah's exclusive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The image appears to be replicating George Floyd's death, who died after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, ignoring Floyd's desperate pleas of 'I can't breathe'. 

'Why Meghan quit Buckingham' is the headline on the front page, with the drawing of Meghan on the ground saying 'because I couldn't breathe anymore'. 

The cartoon is gaining plenty of attention on social media, with people branding the cartoon as 'wrong' and 'appalling'.

"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," one twitter user wrote. 

Another account, 'Black and Asian Lawyers For Justice' tweeted the cover was “outrageous, disgusting, fascistic racism” adding that the magazine was “pimping George Floyd's trauma for profit”. 

Floyd died in May last year, fuelling the Black Lives Matter movement which saw people speak out across the globe on police brutality and racial inequality. 

This week, The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to pay $27million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd's family over his death in police custody, the Daily Mail says. 

Charlie Hebdo is yet to make comment on it's latest cover, but civil right activist @_SJPeace is calling for the publication to stop.

"A French magazine is laughing about Floyd's death...and Meghan Markle" he said. 

"This magazine is notorious for being racist and offensive and gaslighting people of color. This magazine needs to be removed!" 

In 2015, 10 Charlie Hebdo staff members were murdered in a terror attack, after the publication ran a series of satirical covers depicting the prophet Muhammad.