Violent clashes broke out in Istanbul on Monday after police moved to disperse a crowd angered by a cartoon published in the Turkish satirical magazine LeMan, which was alleged to depict the Prophet Mohammed.
Officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to contain the protests, which quickly escalated, an AFP correspondent reported.
The unrest followed an arrest order issued by Istanbul’s chief prosecutor against several editors of LeMan.
The prosecutor’s office stated that the cartoon, featured in the magazine’s June 26, 2025, edition, “publicly insulted religious values” and was the subject of an official investigation.
A black-and-white image from the magazine circulating online showed two characters floating above a city under attack. One says, “Salam aleikum, I’m Mohammed,” and the other replies, “Aleikum salam, I’m Musa.”
Officials interpreted the cartoon as a portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed, a depiction considered highly offensive and blasphemous by many Muslims.
However, LeMan’s editor-in-chief, Tuncay Akgun, speaking from Paris, denied the image was of the Prophet.
He insisted the character was a fictional Muslim man named Mohammed who had died in Israeli airstrikes.
“More than 200 million people in the Islamic world are named Mohammed,” he said. “We would never take such a risk. This has nothing to do with the Prophet.”
Despite the clarification, tensions flared. Dozens of protesters stormed a bar known to be frequented by LeMan staff, sparking scuffles with police. The unrest rapidly grew, with an estimated 250 to 300 people involved in the clashes.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X (formerly Twitter) that police had arrested the cartoonist responsible for what he described as “this vile drawing”, along with the magazine’s graphic designer and two other staff members.
Authorities also raided the magazine’s offices on Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue and issued warrants for additional executives, according to presidential press aide Fahrettin Altun.
LeMan defended the cartoon on social media, stating it was being deliberately misinterpreted to stir outrage. “The cartoonist wanted to portray the righteousness of the oppressed Muslim people by depicting a Muslim killed by Israel, he never intended to belittle religious values,” the magazine posted.
Akgun condemned the government’s reaction as “an act of annihilation” targeting the independent press. He expressed concern over comparisons to the 2015 attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, calling the parallel “intentional and very worrying.”
“There is a game here, as if we were repeating something similar. This is a very systematic provocation and attack,” he warned.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed the investigation, citing “publicly insulting religious values.” He wrote on X: “No freedom grants the right to make the sacred values of a belief the subject of ugly humour.”
Echoing that sentiment, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul denounced what he described as an attack on sacred values. “We will not remain silent in the face of any vile act targeting our nation’s faith,” he stated.
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