Charlie Hebdo files lawsuit against social network X

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has taken legal action against the social media platform X for sharing fabricated cover caricatures falsely attributed to the publication. Some of the fake illustrations feature Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“There is an almost industrial approach that is accelerating, with numerous front pages of very high quality,” the publication’s lawyer Richard Malka told Agence France-Presse. “It would be easy to be misled if one were not familiar with the newspaper’s editorial line,” Malka added. “There is a clear intention behind this that appears to be pro-Russian propaganda.”

In addition, with this lawsuit the magazine’s editorial team is trying to protect their image and values, and to dispel any doubts among members of the public that these manipulations may cause.

Currently, the lawsuit concerns about 15 fake drawings and covers, although their actual number is much bigger. Among the latest publications is a false magazine cover featuring Zelensky next to a wheelchair, in which the deceased Pope Francis is sitting in front of a table labeled “The Vatican Bank,” with Zelensky saying: “It’s me, Pope Francis. Please transfer all my money to Ukraine.”

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Main image: AFP

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn