Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Outrage as La Presse compared Benjamin Netanyahu to Nosferatu vile antisemitic caricature in a publication.
Quebec newspaper La Presse has removed a cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The image published online this morning portrayed Netanyahu with pointed ears and long sharp fingers, evoking a sequence in the 1922 silent film in which the vampire Count Orlok hides away on a ship in pursuit of his human prey.
Text overlaying the cartoon identified the caricature as “Nosfenyahou” on his way to the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said that the caricature was antisemitic, not funny, and demanded an immediate retraction.
“One can criticize Netanyahu — as many Israelis do — without stooping to using antisemitic tropes such as hooked fingers or a big nose,” CIJA said on X. “This kind of drawing contributes to the normalization of antisemitism that has been affecting our community for months.”
Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi said on social media “You can dislike Netanyahu. You can disagree with his policies. You cannot make antisemitic tropes.”
Public relations firm CEO Jenni Bryne noted that the cartoon was reminiscent of antisemitic Nazi propaganda in the lead-up to World War II and the Holocaust. La Presse, in its retraction statement, said that Nosferatu was used in Nazi propaganda during the Second World War.