No.
This was an inexcusable compromise of airline safety.
You don't know what you're talking about. It was definitely bad PR, but I doubt it was unsafe. I'm sure they checked the structural integrity of the wing before they let it fly.
I dont know why you're even questioning this. Any aircraft in which you could see a part of the wing ripped off is UNSAFE even if Wilbur Wright signed off on the inspection sheet. We used to ground aircraft for even the slightest delamination on the wing.
Rather than trying to justify this breach of QA Protocol, just chalk it up to a lapse of judgement and move on.