Turkey condemns Charlie Hebdo for satirical cartoon of Erdoğan

French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was condemned by Turkish officials for mocking Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan in a political cartoon.

The magazine accused Erdoğan of sowing “the seeds of hatred and animosity,” stoking already heightened tensions between France and Turkey, The Associated Press reported. Its caricature depicts a crudely drawn image of Erdogan in his underwear lifting the skirt of a woman wearing traditional Islamic clothing. 

Erdoğan’s administration said in a statement that Charlie Hebdo held “no respect to faith” by publishing the cartoon representation of Turkey’s president, the AP reported.

The Turkish president this week criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s stance after a school teacher was beheaded on Oct. 16 for showing his students cartoon images of the Prophet Muhammed published in Charlie Hebdo five years ago.

Though many Muslims see the caricatures as blasphemy, Macron called the school teacher a “quiet hero” for standing against Islamist separatism and supporting free speech. In the past, the French president has defended the magazine’s work as free speech.

The images published in January 2015 resulted in a shooting at the publication’s offices that killed 12 and injured 11 others.

The cartoons were reprinted this year to mark the beginning of the suspected assailants’ trials.

Erdoğan said he had not seen the images of his likeness, but criticized the magazine for printing Muhammed caricatures.

“My sadness and anger does not stem from the disgusting attack on my person but from the fact that the same [publication] is the source of the impertinent attack to my dear Prophet,” Erdoğan told his ruling party’s legislators in parliament.

Macron’s stance sparked anti-France protests in Turkey and other Muslim countries and inspired calls to boycott French products and goods.