Turkish protesters slam French magazine’s reprinting of offensive Prophet Muhammad cartoons

Turkish protesters have rallied in the city of Istanbul to vent their anger against the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo for republishing offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

According to Press TV, the protest took place at Istanbul’s Beyazit Square on Sunday, with protesters holding placards warning Charlie Hebdo and French President Emmanuel Macron "will pay a heavy price".

The French weekly reprinted the blasphemous caricatures on the eve of the trial of suspects in a deadly gun rampage on its office five years ago.

In January 2015, two men barged into the newspaper’s Paris offices, killing 12 people, many of whom worked for the publication.

The attack, condemned by Muslims across the world, was allegedly a response to the magazine’s offensive cartoon of the Prophet of Islam (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny) a few years earlier.

The terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo were French-born brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi. They claimed the attacks in the name of al-Qaeda. Both were killed in police raids at the time.

But 14 suspected accomplices are set to stand trial, for their alleged part in helping the attackers.

The blasphemous cartoons have drawn strong criticism from Muslim countries who call it an Islamophobic act.

ME