Racism, With a Dash of Mango Chutney

‘The Australian’ daily has published a racist cartoon, depicting a starving Indian family trying to eat solar panels.

The cartoon was Bill Leak’s response to the climate deal signed in Paris. (Photo: Cartoon in the The Australian)

An Australian daily has published a racist cartoon that has elicited condemnation from the rest of the world. The cartoon depicts a starving Indian family chopping up solar panels for food. In the context of the cartoon, the solar panels have been sent to India to help curb carbon emission.

The cartoon depicting an Indian family trying to eat solar panels. (Photo: Cartoon in the The Australian)

Published in Monday’s edition, the cartoon was Bill Leak’s response to the climate deal signed in Paris. India is the world’s fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Speaking to The Guardian, Australia, Amanda Wise, associate professor of sociology at the Macquarie University expressed shock and said that the cartoon would be unacceptable in other parts of the world.

This cartoon is unequivocally racist and draws on very base stereotypes of the third world, underdeveloped people who don’t know what to do with technology. India is the technology centre of the world right now and has some of the most high-tech industries on the planet in that part of the world. The underlying message is that people in developing countries don’t need all these technologies to do with climate change – they need food.

<b>Amanda Wise, speaking to <i>The Guardian,</i> Australia</b>

The editor of The Australian, Clive Mathieson, confirmed he edited Monday’s paper but declined to comment on the cartoon.

Social media, however, was very vocal in its disapproval.