DUBAI: Miss France 2025, Angelique Angarni-Filopon, has come under fire for her apparent lack of solidarity with the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

On Jan. 7, 2015, two gunmen claiming allegiance to Al-Qaeda stormed the offices of the satirical weekly, killing 12 people.

The attack, which was in retaliation to the magazine’s caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, sparked worldwide debate about the limits of free speech. It resulted in the “Je Suis Charlie” (“I Am Charlie”) slogan being used by supporters of the magazine around the world as a call for the right to freedom of expression.

In a recent radio interview, Angarni-Filopon was asked if she was “Charlie” but she declined to comment.

Her lack of a response sparked a furor online. Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon of three Islamic leaders holding up a sign that read “Je Suis Miss France” (“I Am Miss France”) and the caption “Miss France n’est pas Charlie” (“Miss France is not Charlie”).

Frederic Gilbert, chairman of Societe Miss France, said the controversy was of “unprecedented violence” and that he was “worried for the safety of Miss France.”

Winners were required to withhold any political or religious opinions during the year they held the title and Angarni-Filopon was merely following the pageant’s rules, he said.

Since winning the competition the beauty queen has faced online hate and harassment with social media users, particularly on TikTok, mocking her age and appearance.

In an interview with Marie Claire, Angarni-Filopon said: “Cyberbullying is punishable by law … so be careful what you put on the internet.

“Remember, we don’t do to people what we wouldn’t like done to us.”