Carlos Latuff

Carlos Latuff is a freelance political cartoonist, born in November 30, 1968, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Latuff’s works have been posted on various Indymedia websites and blogs as well as several newspapers and magazines such as Mad The Toronto Star, ‘The Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance’ (JAMI) magazine, the Saudi magazine “Character”, Lebanese newspaper “Al Akhbar”, Läsarnas Fria Tidning, and others. A number of his cartoons were also published on other websites such as Norman Finkelstein‘s official website, and he has also participated and was placed second, winning $4,000, in the 2006 Iranian International Holocaust Cartoon Competition

Um dos trabalhos de Carlos Latuff

Theme

Uncle Sam wants youDEAD!' by Carlos Latuff shows Uncle Sam (representing the U.S.A.) with Adolf Hitler's featuresand a Nazi swastika atop his top-hat.

Latuff has authored several comics about Middle East situations such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq War, mainly highly critical towards Israel and the United States while sympathizing with their opposition.^{[original research?]}

In his We are all Palestinians “كلنا فلسطينيون” cartoon series, various famous oppressed groups, including Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, Black South Africans during Apartheid, Native Americans, and Tibetans in China, are all shown stating “I am Palestinian” (See also: Controversies)

Latuff has also made a series of cartoons that portray Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, United States President George W. Bush, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and British PM Tony Blair among other politicians as monsters and as Nazis

In his comic series by the name of Tales of Iraq War (also translated into Arabic “حكايات من حرب العراق” ), he features ‘Juba, the Baghdad sniper’ as a hero while US soldiers are portrayed as villains sent by US President George W. Bush, caricatured laughing over US casualties.

Controversies

'Just following orders' by Carlos Latuff shows Israeli and Nazi soldiers. Text in the shape of a Nazi swastika says: "Israeli soldiers are just following orders".

Latuff himself has described his work as controversial

In 2002 the Swiss-based Jewish organization Aktion Kinder des Holocaust sued the Independent Media Center (IMC, also known as Indymedia) of Switzerland on the charge of anti-Semitism. The reason was a cartoon of Latuff’s We are all Palestinians series, published in Swiss IMC website, which depicted a Jewish boy in Warsaw Ghetto saying: “I am Palestinian. The criminal proceedings were suspended by Swiss court.

In 2006, Latuff entered and was placed second, winning $4,000, in the controversial Iranian ‘International Holocaust Cartoon Competition‘. Latuff’s image compared the Israeli West Bank barrier with the Nazi concentration camps.^[17]

The competition itself was controversial – it was criticised by the then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Israeli foreign ministry, Reporters Without Borders, the Anti-Defamation League and many others. Latuff’s entry was described as “Holocaust inversion” by Manfred Gerstenfeld.

A cartoon by Latuff depicting Alan Dershowitz masturbating over the killing of Lebanese citizens, which illustrated an article by prominent anti-Zionist Norman Finkelstein, also provoked controversy.

In an interview with the Jewish-American weekly newspaper The Forward in December 2008, Latuff responded to charges of antisemitism:

My cartoons have no focus on the Jews or on Judaism. My focus is Israel as a political entity, as a government, their armed forces being a satellite of U.S. interests in the Middle East, and especially Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. It happens to be Israeli Jews that are the oppressors of Palestinians. ……My detractors say that the use of the Magen David in my Israel-related cartoons is irrefutable proof of antisemitism; however, it’s not my fault if Israel chose sacred religious motifs as national symbols, such as the Knesset Menorah or the Star of David = in killing-machines like F-16 jets.

External links

• Aktion Kinder des Holocaust page on Latuff
• Latuff on DeviantArt
• Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Racism and Antisemitism Brazil country report, 2004 (on accusations of anti-semitism concerning a cartoon alleged to be by Latuff)
• “Cartunista Carioca Cria Nova Calúnia Anti-Semita” de Olho na Midia and “Cartunista Carioca Tenta Se Defender e Só Se Complica” de Olho na Midia (articles in Portuguese)
• Interview with Carlos Latuff (in Portuguese language)
• “Site publica charge de brasileiro sobre Holocausto” (Site publishes caricatural drawing of a Brazilian about Holocaust, in Portuguese language)
• ” Direita Israelense ameaça cartunista brasileiro” (Conservative Israelis threaten Brazilian cartoonist, in Portuguese language)