Flowers laid for American journalist James Foley, Arlington Cemetery. Photo by Cynthia Rucker. Copyright Demotix (20 August 2014).
On August 21, Mexican cartoonist Francisco Calderón raised controversy after publishing on his daily cartoon section on Grupo Reforma, an image depicting president Enrique Peña Nieto wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling down in front of a masked executioner. The image is a clear reference to the brutal murder [1] of reporter James Foley in Syria, on August 19, by the jihadist group Islamic State that was later published on video as a warning to the United States.
Jueves 21 de agosto de 2014 LA ENTREVISTA QUE HUBIERA SATISFECHO A LOS TERNURITAS: pic.twitter.com/xFOiml9mqt [2]
— PacoCalderónCartones (@CartonCalderon) agosto 21, 2014 [3]
Thursday August 21, 2014 THE INTERVIEW THE ALL THE TERNURITAS WOULD'VE LOVED.
The title of the cartoon plays with the idea that an execution like the suffered by Foley would have been the kind of “interview” the “ternuritas” (cuties) would've loved. Ternurita is the name some people use for Peña Nieto government opponents.
Some Twitter users reacted to the cartoon:
@CartonCalderon [4] su cartón es una total falta de respeto a la vida de James Foley https://t.co/mMnJJvX0Hz [5] ojalá sólo sea su ignorancia.
— Juan, el gato nerd. (@emejuan) agosto 21, 2014 [6]
Your cartoon is a total disrespect to the life of James Foley. Let's hope it's just your ignorance.
@CartonCalderon [4] Porque cuestionar con firmeza es lo mismo que degollar ¿Verdad monero de la derecha?
— Guillo (@GuillodeClio) agosto 21, 2014 [7]
Because being firm when questioning is the same thing that beheading. Right, right winger cartoonist?
Que pena que @CartonCalderon [4] haga una caricatura de una decapitacion.hara una de los ninos muertos en gaza @monerohernandez [8] ?
— Septimus Heap (@3Septimus) agosto 21, 2014 [9]
It's a shame that Francisco Calderon makes a cartoon with a beheading. Will he make one about dead children in Gaza?
Sólo México reúne la dosis necesaria de insensibilidad e hijoputez para burlarse de la muerte de James Foley pic.twitter.com/VruWNaRdTT [10]
— Osiris Jasso (@typgrph) agosto 24, 2014 [11]
Only Mexico can gather the necessary dose of insensitivity and numbskullness to make fun of James Foley's death.