Norwegian newspaper under fire for 'blatantly racist' cartoon of PM Modi as snake charmer
PTC News Desk: A Norwegian newspaper on Wednesday received massive backlash after publishing a racist cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a snake charmer, triggering widespread outrage with critics accusing the publication of reinforcing colonial-era stereotypes about India.
The illustration was carried alongside an opinion reportedly titled 'A clever ans slightly annoying man' depicted PM Modi holding what appeared to be a fuel-station pipe shaped like a snake.
The controversy grew after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a press event in Norway, where Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng questioned why he did not take questions from the media during a joint appearance with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Modi did not reply, but later Indian diplomat Sibi George strongly responded on behalf of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
The issue became even more controversial after a cartoon was published, leading to massive criticism online. Many people called the cartoon racist and said it repeated old colonial stereotypes that showed India as a country of “snake charmers.” Critics argued that the image was disrespectful toward India and its elected prime minister.
"This cartoon is blatantly racist," a user wrote on X, adding, "What also stands out is the irony. PM Modi used to speak about how earlier the world thought of India as a 'land of snake charmers'. And now, during his visit to Oslo, a major European newspaper depicts him exactly that way".
One social media user named Prady wrote that “Europeans still can't come out of their colonial fantasies,” while criticising the newspaper. Many others also reacted strongly, saying that “colonial arrogance” still exists in parts of Western media.
A similar controversy had happened in 2022 when a Spanish newspaper used snake-charmer imagery while reporting on India’s economic growth.
Interestingly, Modi himself had spoken about this stereotype during his 2014 speech at Madison Square Garden in the United States. He said India was once seen abroad as a country of “snake charmers” but had now become a nation of “mouse charmers” because of its progress in technology. He later repeated the same comparison at other international events as well.
- With inputs from agencies
