Blog
Disgusting: OTV Shares Outrageously Racist Caricature
Lebanese media stoops to a new low after a disgustingly racist and xenophobic caricature depicting school students was aired on Lebanese channel OTV on Sunday September 22.
Done by Antoine Ghanem, the caricature shows two young Lebanese students unable to enter a school because it was “filled to capacity with foreign students, including Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Indians, Bangladeshis, etc.” The disgustingly racist caricature even used the Arabic equivalent of the N word, an ethnic slur that refers to black people.
The caricature was shared in response to a recent statement made by the Education Minister Akram Chehayeb, explaining that “no child will be allowed to stay outside of school regardless of their nationality.”
OTV mocked this decision by asking “fi Akram men hek?” because apparently – in their appalling logic – only Lebanese students have the right to education and the right to learn.
The TV channel later took down the caricature, but did not issue an apology of any sort.
But it was too late, as the video had already been seen and shared on social media, causing much-deserved outrage at the channel’s low ethics.
Here are some Twitter reactions:
Done by Antoine Ghanem, the caricature shows two young Lebanese students unable to enter a school because it was “filled to capacity with foreign students, including Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Indians, Bangladeshis, etc.” The disgustingly racist caricature even used the Arabic equivalent of the N word, an ethnic slur that refers to black people.
The caricature was shared in response to a recent statement made by the Education Minister Akram Chehayeb, explaining that “no child will be allowed to stay outside of school regardless of their nationality.”
OTV mocked this decision by asking “fi Akram men hek?” because apparently – in their appalling logic – only Lebanese students have the right to education and the right to learn.
The TV channel later took down the caricature, but did not issue an apology of any sort.
But it was too late, as the video had already been seen and shared on social media, causing much-deserved outrage at the channel’s low ethics.
Here are some Twitter reactions:
In the past we have called advertisers and advertising companies to boycott OTV, because of the their homophobia, today we are renewing our call because of their disgusting racism, OTV used the N word while claiming that refugees and black people are taking over our schools.
— georges azzi (@G_azzi) September 22, 2019
— Joumana Haddad (@JHaddadOfficial) September 22, 2019
#الإنسانية pic.twitter.com/WHbxCiTuAv
In the bubble that OTV producers/journalists/editors are inhabiting, a Minister of #Education saying that “no child in #Lebanon should be outside school, regardless of their nationality” is not a self-evident truth/value. On the contrary, it is material for satire (!). (Thread) pic.twitter.com/egeClyYV2k
— Halim Shebaya (حليم شبيعة) (@halimshebaya) September 22, 2019
— Lara Sakr | (@lara91saker) September 22, 2019
— layal h (@layalhaddad) September 22, 2019