CCT suspends future advertising with VINO for controversial cartoon
At least one company has suspended advertising with local news website Virgin Islands News Online (VINO), who has been under heavy public criticism for publishing a cartoon of Governor Augustus Jaspert kneeling on the neck of radio talkshow host and government consultant Claude Skelton Cline.
Local telecommunications provider Caribbean Cellular Telephone (CCT) made the move amid calls from the public for advertisers to boycott the Julian Willock-owned website.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page on Monday, June 15, management of CCT said it “explicitly condemns the cartoon”.
“This tasteless reenactment of the murder of Mr George Floyd within a local political context is both offensive and inappropriate. We join the many voices in the British Virgin Islands community who have already spoken out against this offensive cartoon and we demand that Virgin Islands News Online immediately retract this offensive cartoon and issue an official apology,” CCT said.
It added: “CCT will suspend all future advertising with Virgin Islands News Online until this offensive cartoon is retracted and we call upon all other advertisers to make a similar pledge. There is simply no place in our beautiful British Virgin Islands community for this kind of callous disrespect of human dignity.”
Up to the time of publication of this article, the new site has neither apologised or removed the cartoon.
It has, however, fired back at persons who have criticised its cartoon, which directly relates to Skelton Cline’s recent statement that Governor Jaspert has his figurative knees on the necks of Virgin Islanders.
VINO has also denied having any racist intentions.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page on Monday, June 15, management of CCT said it “explicitly condemns the cartoon”.
“This tasteless reenactment of the murder of Mr George Floyd within a local political context is both offensive and inappropriate. We join the many voices in the British Virgin Islands community who have already spoken out against this offensive cartoon and we demand that Virgin Islands News Online immediately retract this offensive cartoon and issue an official apology,” CCT said.
It added: “CCT will suspend all future advertising with Virgin Islands News Online until this offensive cartoon is retracted and we call upon all other advertisers to make a similar pledge. There is simply no place in our beautiful British Virgin Islands community for this kind of callous disrespect of human dignity.”
Up to the time of publication of this article, the new site has neither apologised or removed the cartoon.
It has, however, fired back at persons who have criticised its cartoon, which directly relates to Skelton Cline’s recent statement that Governor Jaspert has his figurative knees on the necks of Virgin Islanders.
VINO has also denied having any racist intentions.
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