‘You cannot imagine’ events in Britain: Renowned radical cartoonist talks to RT’s Going Underground

Published time: 7 Aug, 2017 11:22

Get short URL

© goingundergroundRT / YouTube

A renowned political cartoonist who depicted Prime Minister Theresa May as a gun-wielding protestant militant after her billion-pound deal with the Democratic Union Party (DUP) has spoken to RT’s Going Underground.

Speaking from his home country Brazil, Carlos Latuff said the cartoon was more of a criticism of how the Irish republican party Sinn Fein had “threatened the politics in Ireland” than the right-wing DUP or May.

“Sinn Fein was a political arm of the IRA and they fought along decades to make Northern Ireland independent. And now you have Sinn Fein abandoning independence and quite satisfied with dealing some concessions in order to rule Northern Ireland with UK.”

© latuffcartoons.wordpress.com

Carlos has also drawn former IRA commander and Sinn Fein politician Martin McGuinness, who died earlier this year, alongside the Queen. 

“When you see pictures of McGuinness at the time of IRA and the troubles, with guns, fighting the British - and then you see him in pictures shaking hands with the Queen. You cannot imagine these kind of things.

“Of course we are open to dialogue. But there is a difference between dialogue and to negotiate concessions. It’s a pity to see such a resistant movement, anti-colonial movement, to make deals with the British.”

© latuffcartoons.wordpress.com

Latuff’s fiery works have covered a variety of themes, and he is well known for depicting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and events of the Arab Spring. More recently, he has depicted US President Donald Trump putting the whole of the West Bank into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mouth.

“I used to say no matter if Obama or Trump - of course you had differences between Democrats and Republicans - but the core of the policies in the United States will be always pro-Israel,” Latuff said.

“Now, Trump is more blunt. He is more clear in his support to Israel. Trump is seen as a real friend to Israel.”

© latuffcartoons.wordpress.com

He has also weighed in on the situation in Venezuela.

“It is quite interesting to see Trump calling Venezuela a dictatorship, the same way the United States used to apply to Syria for example.

And that’s why the United States is supporting the so-called opposition, the so-called rebels in Syria and now in Venezuela,”Latuff said, adding that it is “clear” America is seeking regime change.

“So probably, sooner or later - more soon than later - we [will hear about] moderate rebels in Venezuela [who are] US-backed.”