Guardian apologises over cartoon of BBC chairman Richard Sharp

The Guardian has apologised aft a cartoon depicting BBC president Richard Sharp was criticised arsenic antisemitic.

It depicted Mr Sharp, who is Jewish, with exaggerated features and carrying a puppet of Rishi Sunak.

One Jewish radical said it "falls squarely into an antisemitic tradition".

Dave Rich, caput of argumentation astatine the Community Security Trust (CST) charity, added that it was akin to different images which person depicted Jews "with outsized, grotesque features, often successful conjunction with wealth and power".

Mr Rich, who has authored a publication connected antisemitism, said racist cartoons attacking Jewish radical passim past person depicted them with exaggerated features.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Guardian said: "We recognize the concerns that person been raised.

"This cartoon does not conscionable our editorial standards, and we person decided to region it from our website.

"The Guardian apologises to Mr Sharp, to the Jewish assemblage and to anyone offended."

It has since been removed from the newspaper's website.

Stephen Pollard, editor-at-large of the Jewish Chronicle, criticised the Guardian for publishing it, saying helium recovered it "genuinely shocking that not a azygous idiosyncratic looked astatine this and said 'no, we can't tally this'. To maine that's the existent issue."

Tracy-Ann Oberman, an histrion who has spoken retired astir anti-Jewish racism successful the past, said she did a "double-take" erstwhile she saw the image.

Martin Rowson, the creator who drew it, has besides apologised, saying helium was successful a unreserved to make the artwork by a deadline and did not mean to offend oregon see immoderate prejudicial undertones.

He described the cartoon arsenic a nonaccomplishment connected galore levels, adding that helium attended schoolhouse with Mr Sharp and knew helium was Jewish, but "his Jewishness ne'er crossed my caput arsenic I drew him".

In a lengthy statement, helium wrote: "To enactment effectively, cartoons astir much than immoderate different portion of journalism necessitate eternal vigilance, against unconscious bias arsenic good arsenic things that should beryllium evident and successful this case, unforgivably, I didn't adjacent deliberation about.

"There are sensitivities it is our work to respect successful bid to execute our satirical purposes."

Mr Sharp and the BBC declined to comment.