Charlie Hebdo Turns Migrant Child Alan Kurdi Into A Groper

The latest cover of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is drawing criticism for linking the European migrant crisis to spate of sexual assaults during New Year through the death of Alan Kurdi.

According to Newsweek, a cartoon in the magazine depicts a man chasing a woman and asks 'What would little Aylan have grown up to be? Groper in Germany'. Kurdi, the 3-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, became the face of the migrant crisis after he was discovered facedown, motionless. Identified later as Alan, the boy's family was on a boat trying to crossover illegally into Greece from Turkey.

The magazine's cartoon depicts an illustration of a famous photo of Kurdi lying dead and shows the chasing scene. During New Year revelries in Cologne, Germany, several women claimed to have been attacked or sexually assaulted by men with African and Asian appearance.

Immediate reactions to the cartoon included anger and allegations of racism. Several people tweeted termed the cartoon disgusting.

Charlie Hebdo has made headlines in the past for its provocative cartoons. Last year, the magazine was targeted by militants who shot and killed 11 of its employees, CNN reports. Many who criticized the magazine for its cartoon on Kurdi said they doubt if they would continue to express solidarity with the publication.