The publisher of the children's book "Franklin the Turtle" lodged a protest to the U.S. defense Minister, saying, "Please do not use Franklin violently without permission." This was in response to U.S. defense Minister Pete Hegseth posting an image of the protagonist of Franklin the Turtle sinking a drug boat.
On the 1st (local time), according to the U.S. online outlet Axios, the publisher Kids Can Press issued a statement that said, "Franklin from Franklin the Turtle symbolizes kindness, empathy, and inclusion," and "We condemn the unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image in a derogatory or violent manner."
Franklin the Turtle is a popular children's book that debuted in Canada in 1986 and spawned dozens of sequels, but a parody image that is not storybook-like recently appeared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). In the image, Franklin is aboard a U.S. military helicopter firing a bazooka at a drug traffickers' vessel.
The image was posted to Pete Hegseth's account on X, and Minister Hegseth uploaded the Franklin parody image to his account as controversy spread late last month that U.S. troops violated international law by killing survivors during the process of sinking a Venezuelan drug-running vessel in the Caribbean.
Despite the publisher's protest statement, Minister Hegseth's post remained up, according to reports. In addition, Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Sean Parnell rebutted the publisher's protest, saying, "I don't think Franklin the Turtle would embrace drug cartels or seek to praise the kindness and empathy of drug terrorists."