Madonna accused of using Paris terrorist attack to promote her album

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]adonna is being accused by many online commentators of using the recent terrorist attack in Paris to promote her album Rebel Heart. The 56-year-old posted a series of photos to her Instagram to offer support after 12 people were killed in the gun attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s Paris offices.
But as Madonna offered encouraging words in the captions for her social media images, she also provided some hashtags which were in promotion of her new album.
The controversy comes on the heels of the pop icon likening the recent leak of her album to a ‘form of terrorism’ – her comments coming just after the world was left in shock following the Sydney Siege.
Madonna posted a viral image ‘Je suis Charlie’ (I am Charlie) with the caption: ‘These are very scary times we are living in. Ignorance breeds Intolerance and fear. We can only fight darkness with light! We are all Charlie! #revolutionoflove [heart] #rebelhearts.’
Revolution Of Love is a track off her album Rebel Hearts, both of which she used as hashtags at the end of her post.
Another image on her Instagram is of Parisians taking to the streets in solidarity following the Paris attack.
She captioned the photo: ‘We must respect all religions!’ she wrote. ‘we must also RESPECT human life!! Killing in the name of G*D is man’s idea not G*D’s!!!!#livingforlove #rebelheart’.
Many celebrity blogs and online fans have found the posts to be in poor taste, including Bustle’s Maitri Mehta, who wrote: ‘Madonna has been aggressive in the promotion for her new album, but I am surprised that she didn’t realize — or no one advised her — that in the wake of such a senseless attack, self-promotion is definitely prohibited.’
Madonna has most recently been in the press for posting Instagram photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela that were altered to look like her own image on her new album.
The images caused furor online as many believed she was comparing herself to these revolutionaries and civil rights leaders.
In a statement on her official Facebook page, Madonna said: ‘I’m sorry. I’m not comparing my self to anyone. I’m admiring and acknowledging there Rebel Hearts (sic)’.
The Queen of Pop’s cover for the album Rebel Heart is a close-up of her face with black string on it, which has been the subject of countless Internet memes, with other iconic artists Photoshopped into the same template.
She added: ‘This is niether a crime or an insult or racist! I also did it with Michael jaclson and frida khalo and marilyn monroe (sic).’
‘Am I saying I am them NO I’m saying they are Rebel Hearts too. And I didn’t do it My fans did And I just re posted those photos My fans aren’t racist either If they put me in the same category as these other people Thank you.’
And it has been a busy and very controversial past few weeks for the star.
When Madonna, in December, likened her album leak to terrorism it came during the horrific week when the deadly hostage crisis in Sydney and the devastating Taliban school massacre in Pakistan occurred. So it seemed particularly insensitive when Madonna likened the leak of her upcoming album to a ‘form of terrorism.’