Charlie Hebdo sparks controversy

The two cartoons were apparently intended as an indictment of European failings towards migrants and a denunciation of hypocrisy and consumerism in Europe.

One cartoon showed a young child in shorts and a T-shirt face-down on the shoreline beside an advertising billboard with an image of a clown and a promotion for two children's meal menus for the price of one. The main slogan is "So close to making it..."

The second cartoon was headlined "Proof that Europe is Christian" and has a figure in a long robe walking towards a child head-down in the sand saying "Christians walk on water" with an arrow towards the child and the words "Muslim children sink."

The journal's latest edition has drawn attention from newspapers around the world. Canada's Toronto Sun commented "Aylan Kurdi's death mocked by Charlie Hebdo." The Times of India noted "Charlie Hebdo criticized for dead Syrian toddler's cartoon."

The images could be found with relative ease online on Tuesday.

In France, leading weekly news magazine L'Obs printed comments calling the cartoons "Insensitive" and "Repugnant." Right-wing daily newspaper L'Express noted the international social media reaction to the cartoons and the number of comments against the satirical magazine. The major French newspapers Le Monde, Le Figaro and Liberation have had little to say.

A spokeswoman for Charlie Hebdo contacted by Reuters said the newspaper was unaware of any complaints filed against it.

In January, two attackers killed 12 people at the Paris offices of the newspaper, including the editor-in-chief and leading cartoonists.

jm/msh (Reuters,dpa)