The Guardian has been forced to remove a cartoon of outgoing BBC boss Richard Sharp after it was branded “explicitly racist”.
The caricature by Martin Rowson, depicted Mr Sharp as a puppet-master holding a box marked Goldman Sachs, the bank where he used to work, and his CV.
It also showed Mr Sharp, who is Jewish, as having a large nose.
Above him, sitting on a pile of manure, is a naked Boris Johnson, who looks down and says: “Cheer up matey. I put you down for a peerage in my resignation honours list.”
The paper apologised and removed the cartoon on Saturday, saying it “did not meet our editorial standards”.
On Twitter, Mr Rowson also said sorry, adding he had “screwed up pretty badly”.
He posted: “Through carelessness and thoughtlessness I screwed up pretty badly with a Graun toon today & many people are understandably very upset. I genuinely apologise, unconditionally.”
Critics argued the image of Mr Sharp is how Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union depicted Jewish people.
Author Dave Rich said: “The depiction of Richard Sharp in today’s Guardian cartoon falls squarely into an antisemitic tradition of depicting Jews with outsized, grotesque features, often in conjunction with money and power. It’s appalling.”
Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore branded it a “repellent explicitly racist cartoon”.
Tory former cabinet minister Sajid Javid wrote on Twitter: “Disappointed to see these tropes in today’s Guardian.
“Disturbing theme – or at best, lessons not learned?”
The Guardian said in a statement: “We understand the concerns that have been raised.
“This cartoon does not meet our editorial standards, and we have decided to remove it from our website.
“The Guardian apologises to Mr Sharp, to the Jewish community and to anyone offended.”
The row comes after Mr Sharp resigned as BBC chairman on Friday after being found to have broken the rules by failing to disclose he played a role in getting Mr Johnson an £800,000 loan guarantee.
Adam Heppinstall KC’s review found the former Tory donor twice breached the code governing public appointments, risking the perception he was not independent from the then-prime minister.
The barrister’s review published on Friday morning said Mr Sharp risked a perception that he was recommended for the role because he assisted Mr Johnson “in a private financial matter” ahead of his appointment in 2021.
In his resignation statement, Mr Sharp insisted that his breach of the rules was “inadvertent and not material”.
“Nevertheless, I have decided that it is right to prioritise the interests of the BBC,” he added.
“I feel that this matter may well be a distraction from the Corporation’s good work were I to remain in post until the end of my term.
“I have therefore this morning resigned as BBC chair to the Secretary of State, and to the Board.”
