Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: guardian, steve bell

Steve Bell Dropped By The Guardian Over Benjamin Netanyahu Cartoon

Steve Bell has been dropped by the Guardian newspaper, six months before his contract is up, over a cartoon of Benjamin Netanyahu

Steve Bell has been dropped as a cartoonist by the Guardian newspaper, six months before his current contract is up, over a cartoon he submitted regarding the current Israel/Hamas conflict. The cartoon shows Benjamin Netanyahu preparing to cut out the shape of Palestine from his own flesh with a scalpel, albeit very clumsily, as he is wearing boxing gloves.

The comparison is with a famous David Irving cartoon, with President Lyndon Johnson showing off a scar in the same place on his body, in the shape of Vietnam was clear to me, without the "after" tag. Itself based on a photo of Johnson showing off his gall bladder surgical scars to photographers. It depicts action taken in those countries as damaging, or as defining, to the person making the decisions as anyone else. But it was not clear to many.

Steve Bell tweeted, "Spiked again. It is getting pretty nigh impossible to draw this subject for the Guardian now without being accused of deploying "antisemitic tropes". Just to explain. I filed this cartoon around 11am, possibly my earliest ever. Four hours later, on a train to Liverpool I received an ominous phone call from the desk with the strangely cryptic message "pound of flesh"…I'm sorry, I don't understand, I said and received this even more mysterious reply: "Jewish bloke; pound of flesh; antisemitic trope". Clearly it was self-evident, anybody could see it… I'm sorry, I don't understand, I said and received this even more mysterious reply: "Jewish bloke; pound of flesh; antisemitic trope". Clearly, it was self-evident, anybody could see it…"

Historian and letter writer Keith Flett replied, saying, "the alleged Shakespearan analogy in the message hardly fits the political message of the cartoon, except possibly to someone who is ignorant of both". Bell replied, "Exactly. And why on earth is he wearing boxing gloves?"

When asked if he provided roughs before drawing full cartoons, Bell replied, "I've managed to avoid providing roughs for most of the last 40 years. Unfortunately, since the Rowson squid business, the desk now arbitrarily demands to vet all jokes by 10:30am. I told them it takes me long enough to think up one idea, let alone alternatives, but to no avail"

Frazer Nelson on The Spectator wrote, "At stake here is the British tradition of satire. Cartoonists exaggerate features and shock: ever since Gillray, we have been depicting and mocking world affairs through these cartoons. But the new enemy of this trend is Twitter, where non-readers of a publication take offence at a cartoon they don't like. "

Harry Cole, Political Editor of the Sun tweeted, "Every time. Every bloody time."

David Quantick: Brass Eye writer, tweeted "I am on Steve Bell's side rather than the Guardian's who seem to have sacked him on the classic grounds of what other people might think."

Actor Tracy-Ann Oberman is currently playing Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice 1936 from the Royal Shakespeare Company on tour, set in London's Jewish district of Cable Street, which saw fascist-organised attacks in that year. She replied, simply, "I pity you."

But it seems that Steve Bell making this public on social media, may have led to the Guardian ending his contract early. No one would have noticed if he hadn't posted the cartoon publicly. With the resultant media fuss, a Guardian spokesperson told the media "The decision has been made not to renew Steve Bell's contract. Steve Bell's cartoons have been an important part of the Guardian over the past 40 years – we thank him and wish him all the best."

But speaking to the Morning Star, Mr Bell said that the Guardian has "I've worked on this paper for 42 years, and these kinds of problems have only come up recently… They said they won't publish anything more of mine even though I am on the books until April 2024."

This is not the first time this has been an issue. Steve Bell was believed to have had his contract terminated by the Guardian back in 2020 (generating my cartoon, featuring his famous Falkland Island penguins above), and although the cartoon strip finished, his full-colour editorial cartoons continued under a new contract. He received other criticism for what was seen as anti-Semitic tropes, including this portrayal of the non-Jewish Leaders Of The Opposition Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer, echoing the story of St John The Baptist and Salome. While a portrayal of UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson as 'bullying bulls' was interpreted by some as portraying Priti as some kind of Hindu demonic cow, though only if you ignored the same thing was being done to Boris.

My history with Steve Bell goes back almost as long as I have been alive. At the age of nine or ten, I was tracing Steve Bell cartoons in my parents' copies of the Guardian. His strip for that paper, 'If…' was what I turned to first in the paper my parents bought on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It was all they could afford while still maintaining some standards. Collections of his cartoons helped me catch up with what I missed, and thankfully, my parents didn't twig how unsuitable they were, or if they did, thought I'd cope. His Margaret Thatcher was my Margaret Thatcher, and eventually, his John Major was my John Major until I started to work out my own style. But I couldn't have started without him. Steve Bell is also on the board of London's Cartoon Museum and has curated many shows for them. Hopefully, this is something he will continue to do.

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