The Bill Leak cartoon showing Indians attempting to eat solar panels was labelled ‘unequivocally racist’, but newspaper claims critics didn’t get joke

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The Australian newspaper has defended the publication of Bill Leak’s cartoon depicting starving Indians eating solar panels on the grounds of “freedom of speech”.

The cartoon, labelled “unequivocally racist” by Macquarie university sociology professor Amanda Wise, ran in the newspaper on Monday after the global deal in Paris to reduce carbon emissions. It showed Indians attempting to eat solar panels sent to the developing nation in a box labelled with United Nations insignia in an attempt to curb carbon emissions.

The Australian released a statement to Crikey saying it stood by the cartoon, which it said ridiculed climate change activists, not Indian people, which their readers would have understood.

“We stand by this cartoon and believe it is a strong example of Bill Leak and The Australian’s exercise of its commitment to freedom of speech. The cartoon does not intend to ridicule Indians but the climate change activists who would send poor people solar panels rather than give them something they need – cheap power, aid and a hand up,” the statement said.



“This has been a long-running theme throughout the Paris conference.

“Those following the debates in and around the Paris conference run in our pages would have realised the target of the cartoon was not Indians. It was quite the opposite. Our readers would have – and, in fact, have – understood this.”

The cartoon attracted a broad range of criticim, including from the Labor senator for Tasmania Lisa Singh.