A post on social media by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, depicting a beloved children’s character aiming a rocket launcher at a group of boats, has drawn condemnation from the book’s Canadian publisher.
Hegseth’s post on the fake cover of the book Franklin the Turtle, titled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists, inspired disbelief and outrage. The image shows a smiling anthropomorphic turtle in a military helmet and vest, with an American flag on his arm and a drug-laden boat exploding in the background. “For your Christmas wish list,” Hegseth wrote as the caption.
Hegseth’s post comes amid growing outrage over deadly US attacks on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that have killed at least 80 people.
Extrajudicial killings received renewed attention last week when Hegseth ordered military personnel to “kill everyone” on ships after two survivors of a September 2 strike were spotted. The survivors were killed during the second attack.
Hegseth’s post, which appears to mock a practice that experts have said is illegal, came as the publisher of the Canadian children’s book series faced dismay over the “unauthorized” depiction of its main character.
“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy and inclusivity,” publisher Kids Can Press wrote in a statement on X.
“We strongly condemn any abusive, violent or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” the publishing house said.
But Hegseth’s post also spawned a series of other fake covers, one of which called into question the results of the 2020 presidential election. Others were more critical of the Defense Secretary, including one post that said: “Book two is Franklin Goes to the Hague.”
With over 50 titles and 20 million copies sold, the Canadian series has avoided politics, instead pushing gentle, moral lessons embedded in stories for children – including Franklin Says Sorry, Franklin Forgives and Franklin Is Lost.
A television adaptation featured a theme song by Canadian folk singer Bruce Cockburn, whose first explicitly political song If I Had a Rocket Launcher was written after visiting Guatemalan refugee camps during a civil war in which US-backed forces carried out massacres of the country’s indigenous people.
The Pentagon’s war manual states that those who are “wounded, sick, or shipwrecked” should be given “respect and protection under all circumstances” by US forces – and “making them the object of attack is strictly prohibited”. White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the attacks on alleged drug-trafficking boats were “conducted in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict”.
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