Critics have lambasted the cover of Polish newsweekly wSIECI (The Network), which depicts a screaming white woman wrapped in the European Union flag being pulled at and fondled by six dark and hairy arms. "The Islamic Rape Of Europe" reads the cover line.
In the lead article of the widely read magazine, writer Aleksandra Rybinska says the so-called clash of civilizations between Islam and Christianity is inevitable, and chides Europeans for ignoring the negative impacts of multiculturalism that will pave the way for their own downfall. Quoting British historian Arnold Toynbee, he writes: "Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder."
Another feature in the same edition entitled "Hell Europe," inveighs against a culture of "tolerance and political correctness." The article is a reaction to the scenes on New Year's Eve in the German city of Cologne where hundreds of women were sexually assaulted and robbed by large groups of men, most of North African origin.
The Polish cover was quickly condemned for carrying echoes to historical nationalist propaganda, and Twitter users pointed out the parallels to Italian fascist and Nazi-era imagery while others described the cover as unspeakable and hideous.
