WaPo Takes Down Cartoon Depicting Hamas Terrorist Using Human Shields After Anti-Israel Staffers, Readers Cry ‘Racism’
“However, the reaction to the image convinced me that I had missed something profound, and divisive, and I regret that. Our section is aimed at finding commonalities, understanding the bonds that hold us together, even in the darkest times.” – WaPo editorial page editor David Shipley
In February 2017, a month after Donald Trump was sworn into office, the Washington Post proudly announced a change in its online masthead, with it reading “Democracy dies in darkness.”
These days, democracy is dying in anti-Semitism thanks to the Post‘s cowardly decision to yank a cartoon done by Las Vegas Journal-Review cartoonist Michael Ramirez, which was originally published Monday, because it sparked an outcry among triggered anti-Israel staffers, readers, and other assorted Useful Idiots who claimed it was “racist” and allegedly unfairly put the lion’s share of the blame for civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas terrorists and not Israel.
The cartoon depicted a man labeled “Hamas” with a woman and children strapped to him, asking “How dare Israel attack civilians…” pic.twitter.com/mOB6wt4DQf
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
Seriously @washingtonpost?
You had it right the first time.
But taking it down is just an act of utter cowardice and acquiescence to these Hamas jihadist terrorists! pic.twitter.com/w6K7ing1t7
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) November 9, 2023
The Washington Post has taken down an editorial cartoon about the Israel-Gaza war, after criticism that it was racist and dehumanizing towards Palestinians. https://t.co/4WzjrKkQW2
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) November 9, 2023
In a note to readers, editorial page editor David Shipley wrote about his “regret” over his decision to publish the cartoon, claiming the paper missed an opportunity to find “commonalities” and “bonds that hold us together”:
A cartoon we published by Michael Ramirez on the war in Gaza, a cartoon whose publication I approved, was seen by many readers as racist. This was not my intent. I saw the drawing as a caricature of a specific individual, the Hamas spokesperson who celebrated the attacks on unarmed civilians in Israel.
However, the reaction to the image convinced me that I had missed something profound, and divisive, and I regret that. Our section is aimed at finding commonalities, understanding the bonds that hold us together, even in the darkest times.
The Hamas spokesperson in question was Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, who has explicitly stated that Hamas won’t rest until Israel is “annihilated,” and that they will commit many more October 7ths to get the job done if necessary.
It should be noted that the cartoon depiction of Hamad and Hamad himself look strikingly similar:
That’s also what ghazi hamad looks like! pic.twitter.com/giijZF1kE1
— Sallah Shabati (@kodkod87) November 10, 2023
Despite that inconvenient fact, among the complaints from some of the Post‘s readers was how the cartoon allegedly exaggerated Hamad’s features:
The caricatures employ racial stereotypes that were offensive and disturbing. Depicting Arabs with exaggerated features and portraying women in derogatory, stereotypical roles perpetuates racism and gender bias, which is wholly unacceptable.
Before the Holocaust, Jews were portrayed as irrational and evil, with physical features that made them appear akin to cockroaches and rats. These images dehumanized Jews to justify their mass extermination.
Now, the western press is doing the same to Palestinians. Exhibit A 👇 pic.twitter.com/IQ0k9bG9Wj
— matnashed (@matnashed) November 8, 2023
Staffers in the WaPo newsroom were also reassured by executive editor Sally Buzbee that their “deep concerns” about the cartoon were being recognized by Shipley:
Dear colleagues,
Given the many deep concerns and conversations today in our newsroom, I wanted to ensure everyone saw the notes sent out tonight by The Post’s opinions editor, David Shipley, to Post readers and to his staff in opinions.
My best, Sally
Leading the campaign to have the cartoon pulled (and Ramirez canceled in the process) was anti-Semitic self-described poet Remi Kanazi, a Palestinian-American who is a proponent of the anti-Semitic BDS movement and who once made a veiled call for the eradication of Jewish people:
“I don’t want to coexist. I want to exist as a human being. And justice will take care of the rest.”
Here’s what Kanazi wrote about the Ramirez Hamas cartoon:
This is the @washingtonpost
This is the kind of anti-Palestinian racism that they think is acceptable for publication pic.twitter.com/nd6FYc4cb0
— Remi Kanazi (@Remroum) November 8, 2023
In another tweet, he took issue with another “racist” Ramirez cartoon related to the same issue:
More racist BS from this artist after 10,000 Palestinians were massacred by Israel, including 4500 children pic.twitter.com/2uwzVkaI03
— Remi Kanazi (@Remroum) November 8, 2023
The Post was also called “Islamophobic” for running the Human Shields cartoon, and was accused of “racist dehumanization”:
While I detest Hamas and its tactics, I find this cartoon, published in the Washington Post @washingtonpost, extremely disgraceful.
A sick attempt to stop you from feeling outraged by the killing of 160 children EVERYDAY by #Israeli forces in #Gaza while also being Islamophobic.… pic.twitter.com/R4IhdEgrf0— Rim Turkmani (@Rim_Turkmani) November 8, 2023
This is a cartoon in the Washington Post.
It's not even subtle in its racism.
This racist dehumanisation is always a precondition for mass murder of the sort currently taking place in Gaza. https://t.co/W7iKv15VU7 pic.twitter.com/bxisnKSm68
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) November 8, 2023
Others suggested that not even Ramirez’s diverse heritage could save him from his alleged racism:
The weird part about that Michael Ramirez cartoonist guy and his terribly racist cartoons is that he is the son of a Mexican father, and a Japanese mother. He was born in japan. Tells you that no amount of ethnic exposure can change a piece of shit. https://t.co/63CUbvhFue
— Jibby (@JibbyD) November 9, 2023
There were also calls to cancel the Ramirez and the editors involved in allowing the cartoon to get published:
Michael Ramirez of the Washington Post should NEVER be allowed to feel comfortable again. EVERY American, and certainly every subscriber to the Post should demand his firing, and whichever editor approved this. I have never seen this level of racist bullshit in a major paper. https://t.co/1cNauqSYl6
— Anne Arkest (@AnneArkest) November 8, 2023
.@washingtonpost opinion editor's non apology about hateful racist cartoon. Insufficient. Michael Ramirez should never publish another cartoon there, and editor @davidjshipley must go. Inciting hatred against Palestinians and Muslims is WRONG! Resign! https://t.co/wdh5L4mzTi pic.twitter.com/1lrj4rGfy2
— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) November 10, 2023
Though the Post removed the Ramirez cartoon from their website, the one at the Las Vegas Review-Journal is still up as of this writing.
Also still up is Legal Insurrection‘s own version of Hamas Human Shields as drawn by A.F. Branco in 2014:
My .02 is that maybe these people should spend less time hyperventilating over a cartoon and more time condemning Hamas for hiding behind women and children in the first place. But that assumes they even disagree with the barbaric tactic, which is a rather generous assumption to make considering their obvious hate for Israel.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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Comments
Democracy dies with Cowardice. The truth hurts.
The picture in the picture of some big-shot Muzzie honcho is hilarious. It says in capital letters, “There is no humor in Islam.”
And with the magic genie lamp just under the picture. LOL,
Most duplications of the picture are cropped. Here’s the full picture with the scowling emir and magic lamp,
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F-eA4VBWMAAOuwf?format=jpg&name=small
We Americans have been steadily conditioned since the 1960 to flinch and hide when the word “racist” is leveled at us, as though there were no other act more horrible.
It has been very effective, and the Jewh8rs know exactly how most Americans will react if they make the charge of racism about our abhorrence of their barbarism.
Rape murder? Baking babies? Pretty bad but RACISM…
Except the sting of the word has been seriously dulled from overuse. It’s to the point where it can be shrugged off by responding, “everybody you don’t like is a ‘racist.'” If they accuse me of being a racist, then I will be the very best racist I am capable of being. The more you insult me, the less compassion I will have for you; inevitably, I will work against you. Be careful what you ask for.
What a surprise that the leftists don’t like it when you simply tell the truth. It’s real simple, if you come at my family I don’t care if you’re hiding behind a bunch of Jerry’s kids. I’m still coming for you and will do whatever it takes .
I guess I missed the part where the cartoon was proven incorrect.
The cartoon had to be taken down because it was correct.
That the staff at WaPo can’t see the truth is the real story.
It wasn’t a cartoon, it was an artist’s sketch based on an actual photograph of a terrorist taken by a CNN reporter embedded with Hamas. The only change was the artist drew the nose sligtly smaller that it actually was so it would fit on the paper.
If WaPo really cared about racist images, they’d never post another photo of Joe Biden.
Or they’d cease printing this rag.
Meanwhile, other major newspapers like SF Chronicle, race and equity editor, Raheem Hosseini, are writing columns blaming islamophobia and neo-nazis.
Woke progressive lefties, with their useful idiots self-loathing jews, are working double over-time to shape the news.
What race are “palestinians”?
There is no Palestinian race and there has never been a Palestinian country. As employed to reference the Arab populations, they’re made up terms from the 60s/70s.
They are considered mid-east arabs, almost all muslim. But there is/was small christian minority, probably most relocate out to other countries if they can.
Since they are Arabs, technically they would be caucasians.
Indo-European.
80 years back when there were no border walls the “Palestinians” were Jordanian Bedouins.
It was nose racism.
I would like to take this opportunity to dehumanize these Hamas terrorist animals even further and call for their complete and total removal from this plane of existence.
Well, to be fair, WaPo’s new masthead does say ‘democracy dies in mendacity.’
“Democracy Dies in Darkness” isn’t a motto, it’s a corporate mission statement.
Far too close to the truth for the left eh. Fucking cowards.
“Our section is aimed at finding commonalities, understanding the bonds that hold us together, even in the darkest times.”
I remember when real men, like Walt Disney, were proud to make real, moral media, like Der Fuehrer’s Face.
And Americans appreciated them for it: DFF won the 1943 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and was the only Donald Duck cartoon ever to win an Oscar.
Instead, we probably should have gassed a few American Jews, to show our commitment to “finding commonalities.”
The one reason Ramirez was on WaPo is that he doesn’t like Trump and when you look back at his cartoons of Trump you can see why. Other than that he is conservative and nails it virtually all the time.
In the meantime, millions and millions of Palestinians have been murdered by the IDF…. Hamas will be publishing that story with pictures when they can find their Photoshop program. The real face of fundamental Islam is on display in those cartoons.
In regard to this issue, we are dealing with one blatant lie and with one terrible editorial mistake.
The lie was the statement “Our section is aimed at finding commonalities, understanding the bonds that hold us together, even in the darkest times.”. In fact the role of the Washington Post, especially the Editorial Department, is to promote a totalitarian Leftist state and culture in the United States.
The editorial mistake is that the cartoon should have been in the news section, arguably on the front page.
Subotai Bahadur
Write this up in a post. Dershowitz on Obama:
“Do you think Obama understands what his words have meant?” FBN host Maria Bartiromo asked.
“I think so,” Dershowitz replied. “I think he always had a deep hatred of Israel in his heart. He hid it very well. He called me to the Oval Office, and he said Alan, you know I have Israel’s back. I didn’t know he had a target on it. He has never been supportive of Israel. And finally,, his true feelings have come out now that he’s no longer president, doesn’t have to be elected.”
“So he is contributing enormously to the problem because he is respected among young people,” he added. “If he says the occupation is unbearable and that anything can be done to stop it, he is asking people to engage in their antisemitic, anti-Israel and anti-American attitudes. He should be ashamed of himself. He should apologize. But he won’t.”
More of this. Obama has caused more suffering than any other American.
Dershowitz is totally wrong, Obama didn’t hide his hatred at all. Dershowitz was so excited about being able to vote for a black president, Obama could’ve worn a swastika at his inauguration and Dershowitz wouldn’t have noticed.
Of course Obama hid his antisemitism, and who he was, and liberals and progressives bought the schtick. Liberals increasingly recognize they were duped by the composite man. His blackness was certainly an enticement, and has served him better as a shield against criticism for obvious reasons.
Even if “wrong,” the fact that Obama is now being challenged by former supporters is good, and important for Jews similarly hoodwinked.
Every generation has asked.. is He the one? Well…. not sure but if he was… it wouldn’t be a new Revelation.