London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Nov 20, 2025

Charlie Hebdo under fake-fire over cover of Queen kneeling on Meghan’s neck

Charlie Hebdo under fake-fire over cover of Queen kneeling on Meghan’s neck

The British double standards and hypocrisy at its best: Charlie Hebdo - the French satirical weekly magazine that the British protected it’s so called free speech to insult prophet Muhammad - has suddenly come under fire for a cover which insulting a much less important historical figure, the English Queen kneeling on Meghan’s neck in a sick parody of George Floyd’s death.

We can all agree that this last one is not really a satire, as racism is what made the British monarch a monarchy to begin with, but Britain cannot protect free speech when it’s insulting others and play their regular fake surprise when people do to them what they are happily doing to others.

Giving to charity a bit of the huge fortune gained by selling slaves in America and smuggling drugs to China is very nice for the future but not enough to forget past crimes against humanity.

This double-standards-playbook can work among old-fashion-brain-washed British subjects but not among any modern people.

The only right way for the British royal family to prove that they are no longer racists is to put their hand into their pocket and pay the descendants of their slavery victims compensation.

It’s not enough to declare “I am not a racist”. The people who’s family got so rich by enslaving others should prove they are not as racist as their roots by paying compensation to the slavery descendants.

To talk by actions, not by words, in a culture where words always means just the opposite...

The French satirical magazine published the caricature on its front page with the headline: "Why Meghan left Buckingham....".


A speech bubble from Meghan reads: “Because I couldn’t breathe anymore.”

George Floyd, who was unarmed, died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

In shocking video footage of the incident Mr Floyd said “I can’t breathe” before he died.

His words have become the rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement after the alleged murder sparked worldwide protests.


Charlie Hebdo’s cover was widely shared on Twitter on Saturday with many saying it was "utterly appalling".

Dr Halima Begum, the CEO of anti-racism think tank the Runnymede Trust, tweeted the image calling it “wrong on every level”.

She said: "#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong on every level. The Queen as #GeorgeFloyd ‘s murderer crushing Meghan’s neck? #Meghan saying she’s unable to breathe? This doesnt push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge #racism. It demeans the issues & causes offence, across the board."


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

Another person tweeted: “Words cannot describe just how disgusting I found that Charlie Hebdo cover.

“Punching down and constantly drawing racist caricatures it’s not satire.”

It comes after Meghan Markle claimed an unnamed member of the royal family made remarks about her son Archie’s skin colour before he was born, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying that the allegation of racism, was "concerning", and said the matter would be dealt with privately.

Prince William later denied his family were racist when he was asked during a visit to a school in east London earlier this week.

On Friday, the city of Minneapolis reached a $27 million (£19 million) settlement with George Floyd’s family.

Jury selection for Mr Chauvin’s murder trial, scheduled to start on March 29, is currently under way.

This isn’t the first time Charlie Hebdo has been criticised for its cartoons.

The magazine has taken aim at dozens of political and religious public figures, most famously its depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.

It was described by some as ‘blasphemy’ and blamed for the 2015 terror attack at the magazine’s Paris headquarters, which claimed the lives of 12 people.

Comments

Rosalind Laing 5 year ago
Some people's idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back that is an outrage: Winston Churchill according to Piers Morgan's tweet. Charlie Hebdo specialises in offensive publications. Attacking the Queen and linking Meghan's distress to George Floyd is what one would expect. Why get outraged? The British monarchy throughout my lifetime has atoned for slavery and colonialism by turning an Empire into a Commonwealth and supporting very positively their progress and achievements. And if you think they are racists after the spectacular wedding that Meghan was given by the Royals - I think you are just prejudiced. That wedding was a celebration of black religion and people.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
×