Turkey's top officials on Wednesday slammed a caricature scoring President Tayyip Erdogan in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, calling it a "scandalous attempt" to "spread cultural racism and hatred".
Turkish anger over the caricature fueled a row between Turkey and France about the cartoon of Prophet Mohammed, sparked by a teacher who showed the cartoon to students in a lesson on freedom of speech in France this month.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter, "We strongly condemn our presidential-related publication in a French magazine regardless of any faith, piety and values."
“They are just showing their own vulgarity and immorality. Attacking individual rights is not an expression of humor and freedom, ”he said.
The cartoon on the cover of Charlie Hebdo depicts Erdogan wearing a white T-shirt and underpants, holding a canned drink with a woman wearing a hijab.
Fahrtin Altun, the Turkish President's communications director, said that "Macron's anti-Muslim agenda is flourishing!".
Altun wrote on Twitter, "We condemn this hateful attempt by this publication to spread cultural racism and hate."
Erdogan sharply criticized Macron over the weekend, saying the French leader needed a mental health check, prompting France to recall its ambassador from Ankara. On Monday, Erdogan urged a boycott of French products.
Prophet Mohammed's cartoons, considered by Muslims to be blasphemous, have been displayed with solidarity in France, and Macron stated that he was angered by many Muslims, bypassing French values, conservative Islamic beliefs Will try double to stop.
