Overview
- The Valais public prosecutor received complaints from writer Béatrice Riand and her lawyer husband targeting Charlie Hebdo and cartoonist Eric Salch.
- The front page, published on the national day of mourning, showed burned skiers under the headline “Les brûlés font du ski” and the tagline “La comédie de l’année,” referencing the 1979 film “Les Bronzés font du ski.”
- Editor Gérard Biard told RTS the drawing was black humor intended to highlight the tragedy’s absurdity rather than mock victims.
- Thousands of social media users reacted with anger, with comments accusing the magazine of lacking empathy toward those affected.
- Reporting puts the Crans-Montana toll at about 40 dead and 116 injured, providing the context for the cartoon’s subject.