Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell has claimed he has effectively been sacked by the newspaper following accusations his work was “anti-Semitic”.
Mr Bell, who has worked at the Guardian for more than four decades, said the newspaper had refused to publish any more of his cartoons, although it will continue to employ him until April 2024.
The artist said the decision had come as “a bit of a shock”.
Surprised anyone at The Guardian noticed that is. Their definition and our of antisemitic tends to vary…..
In the picture, the Israeli prime minister wears boxing gloves and holds a scalpel over his exposed belly, readying a cut in the shape of Gaza, with the caption: ‘Residents of Gaza, get out now
Critics have taken this to be a reference to Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice who demands a ‘pound of flesh’ from someone who cannot pay him back.
Bell’s cartoon didn’t look like a Shakespearian reference (NTTAWWT). It looked like Netanyahu about to excise his own appendix while wearing boxing gloves. You can make that look antisemitic if you squint hard enough, but why bother?
Seems an odd thing to get worked up about, given that Twitter is full of Teen Vogue columnists and the like literally celebrating the decolonization-murders of Jews. As were many formerly British streets over the weekend.
Anyway, delete Gaza.
It is not meant to be anti-Semitic per se: it is an imitation of a cartoon by David Levine of LBJ pointing to a scar in the shape of Vietnam. It even says that in the cartoon.
apparently it was referencing this…. LBJ/vietnam.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/johnson/431lbjvn.htm
Must confess I didn’t have a clue what the whinging was about until I read that it was deemed to be a reference to Shylock.
But we studied Twelfth Night not Merchant of Venice as our Shakespeare play.
Cartoonists should be fired only for not being funny. Mr Bell is well qualified.
Do sacked cartoonists get a letter, or do they have to draw their own conclusions?
I always enjoy a chuckle when some twerp is outflanked on the left.
Just an excuse. Bell regularly posts off colour or birderline racist caratoons rhat aren’tfunny.
Considering that usually in the Graun or Staggers malfeasers are just suspended on full pay until the fuss dies down, this is a shock.
Talking about outflanking, I’m sure everyone here agrees that the Israelis and Palestinians should all be expelled and the land returned to the Canaanites and Philistines.
I’d add the Amalekites but they were genocided, weren’t they?
Whenever my attention has been directed towards one of his cartoons they always remind me of those stand-up comedians in the early’80s who’s act seemed to be repeating various versions of fuck Thatcher, fuck the Tories.
Agree with BiND. Bell’s cartoons are neither amusing, informative nor thought provoking. They’re just confirmative for the extremely polarised. Much like the Graun, itself.
Oh, I left out unnecessarily vicious.
This is the same guardian “cartoonist” who hilariously depicted Priti Patel as a bull (or cow).
Probably thought he was untouchable.
dearieme: I’d add the Amalekites but they were genocided, weren’t they?
I think they moved to Leicester.
Good god, is this for real?
Belgium v Sweden match abandoned after two Swedish fans shot by Islamic gunman.
Who authorised or approved the publication of the cartoon? They should be sacked too.
If the same standards of the bbcgrauniad apply when (eg) a GB News presenter says something they find offensive, then the whole publication would be forcibly closed down.
Cartoonists should be fired only for not being funny. Mr Bell is well qualified.
Bells amateurish, spiteful, childish daubs are about as funny as a bout of cholera, so he was always a good fit with the Guardian.
Longrider, not that amusing, surely?