Turkish Protesters Condemn Charlie Hebdo Insulting Cartoons (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Around 200 people in Istanbul demonstrated on Sunday against a French magazine's decision to republish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The protest took place at Istanbul’s Beyazit Square on Sunday evening, with demonstrators condemning Charlie Hebdo and French President Emmanuel Macron for insulting the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Some protesters in Beyazit Square on the European side of Istanbul held placards warning Charlie Hebdo and Macron "will pay a heavy price", according to AFP.
Macron defended the magazine's "freedom to blaspheme".
Turkey's foreign ministry condemned the decision to republish the cartoons "that disrespect our religion and our prophet".
Nureddin Sirin, Kudus ( meaning "Jerusalem al-Quds") TV editor-in-chief, warned "Macron will pay a very heavy price for both his arrogance in the eastern Mediterranean and his backing of insults against Islam using press freedom as an excuse".
He was referring to the tensions between Ankara and Paris over Turkey's gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.
