Cartoonist and Newspaper Publisher Defend Political Cartoon Against Reader Backlash

The weekly Islander News, on June 18, 2020, got some negative feedback
over a political cartoon they had published on June 11, 2020:

 

In the same edition as those letters to the editor The Islander News Publisher, Tom Clifford,
defended the newspaper publishing the cartoon and the cartoonist’s position:

Then the June 25, 2020 issue of Islander News carried pages of remarks
(follow the arrows from page 6 through page 10) both pro and con (mostly con)
from readers about associating President Trump with the swastika.

Yesterday, in a special to the Islander News website,
cartoonist Peter Evans responded to the backlash:

I am pleased that so many readers responded to my cartoon that dealt with President Trump and the First Amendment.

The partial swastika was not meant to offend. It was cartoon shorthand for what can happen when we ignore dangers the Constitution protects us from…

and

This is not political. I have lampooned both parties during the 24 years I have cartooned for the Islander…

I, too, believe the swastika symbol is detestable. I used it only to show what can happen when we allow charismatic leaders to sow division and hate.

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