MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. A satirical magazine similar to France’s Charlie Hebdo, which is notorious for Prophet Muhammad cartoons, could not ever be published in Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
"This is because Russia is partly a Muslim country, with up to 20 Muslims living in Russia. In Russia, Christianity is the main religion, our citizens are mostly Christians, and our country is unique because it is multiethnic and multireligious, with all denominations living in full respect for each other," Peskov explained.
According to him, therefore the publication of such a magazine in Russia is "absolutely impossible," including due to the current legislation.
Peskov did not comment on the issue whether religious cartoons were acceptable. "The thing is that this is a very complex substance and it is impossible to join this discussion from any official stance," he explained.
"Certainly, it is unacceptable to insult the feelings of believers and at the same time it is unacceptable to kill people. Both are absolutely unacceptable," Peskov stressed.
In its recent edition, Charlie Hebdo portrayed Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a half-naked caricature saying, ‘here is the prophet’ as he lifts the skirt of a maid wearing a head scarf and a dress standing next to him. The cartoon is supplied with a caption, reading, "Erdogan is a very funny man in his private life." Erdogan’s administration blasted the cartoon as disgusting and vowed to take all the necessary legal steps in light of the publication.
Early on Thursday, a man armed with a knife attacked people in Nice’s Notre Dame cathedral. Three were killed and several others were injured. The attacker was apprehended by police; he was shot several times and later hospitalized. According to Nice mayor, Christian Estrosi, the attacker kept shouting "Allahu Akbar."
On October 16, Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, was decapitated after exhibiting Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a class, dedicated to freedom of expression. After the killing, French President Macron announced a campaign against followers of radical ideologies and related organizations and promised that France would not renounce publishing the caricatures.