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The Observer Apologizes, Removes ‘Racist’ Cartoon

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The Observer has apologized and removed a cartoon by Saffron Swire after Member of Parliament Zarah Sultana called the cartoon racist and called the cartoonist a “right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP”.

The topic of the cartoon was a reaction to Sultana and former Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn announcement to form a new political party. The controversial portion of the cartoon is the box of raisins depicting Sultana as a brown face version of the woman on the Sun-Maid raisin box.

The Observer offered the following apology:

We are genuinely sorry for causing offence and we have taken the cartoon down.

In a later tweet, Sultana called the apology “mealy-mouthed” and added:

It doesn’t even have the decency to name me, let alone offer a direct apology.

Supine journalism from The Observer, but sadly that’s what we’ve come to expect from the mainstream media.

At this time of writing, Swire has not made a public statement regarding the cartoon or Sultana’s comments.

Correction: The original story stated Zarah Sultana was former Member of Parliament. She is a current member of the Parliament. Story has been updated.

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Comments 8

  1. I am a support of Zarah Sultana but for the life on me I can’t see why this cartoon is racist

  2. You have incorrectly described her as a ‘former member of parliament’ – she still is an MP, just not a Labour one anymore. Please try better with accuracy.

  3. Yes, as a supporter of Zarah also, I think her depiction as the face of a sultana brand was a clumsy attempt to capitalize on her surname, (for non-Americans, the Sun-Maid logo is not a person of color). Right wingers are notoriously tone deaf, and the thought that this might just possibly be taken as racist would not have occurred to this “cartoonist”, who I would describe more as a talent-less pamphleteer. The portrayal of Jeremy Corbyn as a Communist isn’t new (nor is it accurate), so this is bog standard, fourth rate cartooning.

    1. Agreed. Naff illustrator and third rate satirist. It’s just not good journalism. All the examples on her site are pretty lame. I can’t even see any likeness of the subjects or cartoons much less any irony.

      The irony IS this will ultimately act as some excellent accidental promotion the new Zarah / Corbyn party by yet another upper-crust twit.

  4. You need to fact check your apology. Zarah is still a member of parliament

  5. Thank you Mehz, Robin, for alerting me to Sultana’s current position in parliament. Story has been updated.

    1. you’re welcome… ps Jeremy Corbyn is also still an MP …

  6. Zarah Sultana had NOT been kicked out of the Labour Party because she is a rabid antisemite (see: https://www.thejc.com/news/politics/mps-turn-on-zarah-sultana-who-declares-we-are-all-palestine-action-i8f18ay4), but because she voted to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

    Also, Corbyn IS a communist, which is why they kicked him out of the party he led. The Labour Party has always had a communist (Tony Benn and Michael Foot) wing, although they’re not as bad as George Galloway and his crew.

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