French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo is under fire for a controversial cartoon depicting drowned Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, the 3-year-old who died while enroute to Europe late last year.
The image of Kurdi, his small body lying face down in the sand near a Turkish resort, struck a chord around the world and sparked dialogue about the refugee crisis gripping Europe.
But Charlie Hebdo cartoonists reimagined the youngster's fate in their latest edition. In the cartoon, a man can be seen chasing a woman and asked the question, "What would have become of the little Aylan had he grown up?” followed by the answer: "A groper of women in Germany."
Hebdo - 'What would little Aylan have grown up to be? Ass groper in Germany'. Don't be apalled you just don't get it pic.twitter.com/LIYJEYjydy— Nesrine Malik (@NesrineMalik) January 13, 2016
The cartoon, in an attempt to tie Kurdi's death to the recent mass sexual assaults in Cologne, believed to have been carried out by North African and Arab migrants in the city. Those attacks raised questions over the influx of migrants into Germany.
Defenders of Charlie Hebdo say the use of Kurdi's image was an attempt to ridicule those who blame all migrants and refugees for the actions of a small group. Controversy surrounding a cartoon is nothing new for the newspaper, which regularly satirizes the political establishment, religion and nationalism.
But others believe the publication has gone too far. Members of the boy's extended family who live in Canada have called the cartoon "disgusting."
"I hope people respect our family's pain. It's a big loss to us. We're not the same anymore after this tragedy. We're trying to forget a little bit and move on with our life. But to hurt us again, it's not fair," said the child's aunt Tima Kurdi, according to CBC.
Human right's defenders also echoed the family's sentiment.
Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for UN's Refugee Agency UNHCR, called the cartoon outrageous.
"I am really, really sad to see this," Fleming wrote in a Facebook post.
Twitter users were divided about the cartoon. Some defended Charlie Hebdo, saying the newspaper was making a valid point about the migration crisis, while others felt the commentary was crass.
The fact #CharlieHebdo can publish their Alan Kurdi smear speaks volumes about the climate of racism in France - which they are escalating.— Ewa Jasiewicz (@ewajasiewicz) January 14, 2016
The cartoon was created by Charlie Hebdo artist Laurent Sourisseau, known as "Riss." Sourisseau was in the newspaper's Paris office in January 2015 when Islamist extremists opened fire in an attack that left 12 people dead. Sourisseau was injured in the attack.