The February edition of Polish magazine wSieci has caused outrage with its cover, which depicts "Islamic Rape on Europe."
It shows a white woman dressed in the European Union flag being grabbed by disembodied arms apparently meant to represent those of Muslim men. The subtitle reads "Our report: what media and elites in Brussels hide from European Union citizens."
The issue features articles titled "Does Europe want to commit suicide?" and "The Hell of Europe," which addresses the New Year's Eve Cologne attacks.
The article on Cologne states: "The people of old Europe, after the events of New Year's Eve in Cologne, painfully realized the problems arising from the massive influx of immigrants. The first signs that things were going wrong, however, were there a lot earlier. They were still ignored or were minimized in significance in the name of tolerance and political correctness."
The cover of the traditionally right-leaning publication has provoked mixed reactions from social media users.
Islamic rape of Europe 😈😈👻😂 #wSIECI
This shit embarrasses me as a Pole. It doesn’t matter that wSieci is a far right tabloid… this shit is unacceptable. @emran_feroz @bani_amor
Sick cover from a big Polish magazine, #wsieci https://t.co/aA8bnsuGhE - is deliberately arousing public fear
Pools weekblad wSIECI toont realiteit 'Islamgeweld tegen Europa'Voor zo'n terechte affiche word je hier veroordeeld!
"Polish weekly magazine wSIECI shows the reality of 'Islam violence against Europe.' For this kind of justified image, you'd be judged here!"
1) Cover of this week's Polish magazine wSieci about the 'Islamic rape of Europe'; 2) WW2 Italian fascist propaganda
One commenter also noted German magazine Focus's recent cover showing a naked white woman covered in black handprints. The title translates to, "Women complain of sex attacks from migrants: Are we tolerant or blind?"
.@beatabiel Oburzonym na okładkę "wSieci" przypomnę okładkę "Focusa" sprzed kilku tygodni.
In January, the Polish government passed a new law placing all Polish state broadcasting under state control.
According to the law, the government will have the power to appoint and dismiss TV and radio executives. This won't affect print publications like wSieci. Poland has come under increasing criticism from the EU for initiatives taken by its new government that appear to crack down on press freedom and other democratic values.