Guardian accused of printing ‘racist’ cartoon depicting Priti Patel as a bull
The Guardian has been accused of racism over a cartoon showing Priti Patel and Boris Johnson. Steve Bell depicted both politicians as bulls, with horns and rings through their noses. There has been a backlash against the image, with some claiming it was offensive given the Home Secretary’s Hindu heritage. Former Chancellor Sajid Javid tweeted: ‘Reminiscent of anti-Semitic cartoons from the last century. Incredibly offensive. @guardian should know better.’
Politics lecturer Adrian Hilton tweeted: ‘Good grief, I hadn’t seen this derogatory caricature of a ‘sacred cow’, lampooning Priti Patel’s Indian/Hindu heritage. Why does Kath Viner @guardian not consider this to be an expression of religious/racial “hate”?’ The British Tamil Conservatives added: ‘This cartoon is offensive on every level. – It’s anti-Hindu. It portrays the Home Secretary, of Hindu origin as a cow. A sacred symbol for Hindus. – Its racist and – misogynist. It’s plainly unacceptable! It may constitute a hate crime.’ Others claimed the cartoon showed a double standard, saying there would have been a public outcry if a left-wing BAME politician had been portrayed in such a way. One man said: ‘Imagine the reaction if the Telegraph portrayed Diane Abbott with a ring in her nose.’ Another asked: ‘Racism is okay when the left does it huh?’
The cartoon refers to the bullying allegations against Priti Patel and her defence by Boris Johnson. A Cabinet Office inquiry into allegations Ms Patel broke the ministerial code is under way. Among the claims are that a senior official at the Department for International Development had reported a ‘tsunami’ of allegations of abuse by officials in Ms Patel’s private office when she was secretary of state, BBC2’s Newsnight reported. Those allegations came after a former aide at the Department for Work and Pensions was reported to have received a £25,000 payout from the Government, having said she was bullied by Ms Patel when she was employment minister. A spokesman for Ms Patel said: ‘The Home Secretary categorically denies all of these allegations.’ The Guardian has been contacted for comment.
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https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/08/guard...1/?ito=cbshare