Has Charlie Hebdo crossed the line with its cartoons? It's difficult to say

Aylan Kurdi (L) and his brother Galip pose in an undated photo provided by the Kurdi family. The two Syrian toddlers drowned with their mother and several other migrants as they tried to reach Greece. [Agencies]

Two cartoons in French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo have started a war of words on the Internet, because some think they make fun of Aylan Kurdi, the 3-year-old Syrian refugee who drowned in the sea while trying to reach the Greek island of Kos with his family. One cartoon shows a McDonald's-like promotion offering "2 kid menus for the price of one" with a sign saying, "Welcome the migrants..." with the image of Aylan lying face down on a beach. Is this freedom of the press or mockery? Comments:

In January (when terrorists gunned down 12 of Charlie Hebdo's staff members), many people across the world used the Twitter tag #JesuisCharlie (I am Charlie) to support press freedom. Now it is being severely criticized. One Twitter user even said, "If that is press freedom, I spit on it".

Hannover General Newspaper, Sept 15

We are against terrorism and support freedom of speech, too, but media outlets should have moral limits. It is inhuman to evoke ethnic or religious hatred.

Lao Yue, a writer based in Zhejiang, Sept 15

Charlie Hebdo is a purely racist, xenophobic and ideologically bankrupt publication that represents the moral decay of France. The Society of Black Lawyers will consider reporting this as incitement to hate crime and persecution before the International Criminal Court.

Peter Herbert, chair of UK-based Society of Black Lawyers, via Twitter, Sept 15

Actually I think I understand the humor of Charlie Hebdo. And I know that many French do not sense that kind of humor. I think the satire of the magazine is against European governments - for their bad handling of the refugee crisis.

euronews.com, quoting a Parisian reader, Sept 15

European society is not without opposition to accepting Syrian refugees. It is temporarily suppressed by the rising tide of sympathy, but many worry that European conscience might fade with time, as more refugees cross into the EU. The Charlie Hebdo cartoons show such worries are not groundless.

Global Times (Chinese edition), Sept 16