Outrage Over 'Obama Chimpanzee' Cartoon

http://www.planetnetopia.com/forum/posts/id_1134/title_outrage-over-%27obama-chimpanzee%27-cartoon/

A newspaper that published a cartoon appearing to portray Barack Obama as a crazy chimpanzee has been accused of racism.

The cartoon appeared in the New York Post on Wednesday

The New York Post cartoon shows two police officers, one with a smoking gun, standing over the body of a bullet-riddled chimp.

The caption reads: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

The image has outraged civil rights leaders and officials who say it echoes racist stereotypes.

Rev Sharpton On NYPost Cartoon Row

Black civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton described it as "troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys".

But the Post's editor-in-chief, Col Allan, defended the cartoon as "a clear parody of a current news event".

He said the drawing refers to a chimpanzee named Travis who was killed by police in Connecticut after it mauled a friend of its owner.

In a statement, he hit back at the accusation made by Mr Sharpton, saying: "Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist".

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