Observer Apologizes, Removes Cartoon Depicting Zarah Sultana Amid Racism Accusations

A controversial cartoon published by The Observer depicted Jeremy Corbyn in Soviet-themed attire alongside a caricatured image of MP Zarah Sultana on a raisin box, which Sultana condemned as 'brownfacing' and racist. The cartoon, drawn by Saffron Swire, daughter of former Tory MP and current Lord Hugo Swire, sparked widespread backlash, leading The Observer to apologize and remove the cartoon from its website and social media. Sultana criticized the cartoonist as a 'right-wing hack' and highlighted the racial insensitivity of mocking her surname in this manner. The illustration also referenced Corbyn's new hard-left party, which Sultana joined after resigning from Labour, with the invitation including symbolic elements like a hammer and sickle and Karl Marx's Das Kapital. Critics and commentators described the cartoon as offensive and symptomatic of a decline in the newspaper's standards, while the familial background of the cartoonist was noted as illustrative of British elite political connections. The incident has reignited discussions about racism, media accountability, and political divisions on the left and right in the UK.