2024-03-21 01:02:13
Montreal newspaper La Presse faced accusations of anti-Semitism following it depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire in a cartoon.
The cartoon published by La Presse, a French-language digital newspaper, showed Netanyahu with spiked ears and claws standing wearing a long coat on a sailing ship in an image reminiscent of the vampire in the 1922 film “Nosferatu.”
Underneath the drawing was written the phrase “Nosvinyahu is on his way to Rafah.”
The cartoon is based on the 1922 film Nosferatu
Anti-Semitic tropes, including those used by the Nazis, likened Jews to vampires. The newspaper’s editor-in-chief apologized and said that the cartoon was intended to criticize the Israeli government and not the Jewish people.
Concerns have mounted in Canada and around the world regarding the war in Gaza, including a planned Israeli attack on the city of Rafah, as Netanyahu vowed to eliminate Hamas in response to the unprecedented attack launched by its members on October 7 on Israel.
Canadian politicians, Jewish leaders and others criticized the cartoon, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called it “disgusting.”
“Insinuations of anti-Semitism and repeating similar tropes are unacceptable,” Trudeau said.
Several Canadian ministers also criticized the cartoon as “outrageous” and warned that it threatened to heighten already high tensions in Canada regarding the war in Gaza.
By midday, the cartoon had been removed and La Presse issued an apology.
Its editor-in-chief, Stephanie Grammon, said the cartoon was intended to criticize the Israeli government, “not the Jewish people,” adding, “It was never our intention to promote anti-Semitism or offensive stereotypes.”
1710998324
#Nosvinyahu #Rafah #Newspaper #accused #antiSemitism
