Japanese network NHK removes ‘offensive’ animation explaining George Floyd protests after online backlash
- The NHK clip shows caricatures of African Americans looting and explains the unrest as a result of financial inequality rather than abusive policing
- The NHK animation fails to mention the death of Floyd or police brutality, drawing criticism from tennis star Naomi Osaka and US embassy
The one-minute-20-second clip showed caricatures of black-skinned figures looting stores and angrily occupying an urban street as they protested against the wealth divide in the country.
The video depicts a muscle-bound black man in a white tank top holding an empty purse and yelling at a fully clothed white man. He explains black people are angry because of the economic disparity between black and white people.
“Yeah, white people have seven times the average assets of black people,” he says. “And then comes the coronavirus pandemic, which affected us black people the most. Hey, a question to you: How many black folks lost their jobs or got their hours cut?”
One black man with an Afro carries what appears to be a burning electrical appliance as if he has been engaged in looting while another – also powerfully built – strums a guitar while seated on a fire hydrant. Other black protesters march in outrage in the background.
The video was aired on a weekly news variety show Kore de Wakatta! Sekai no Ima (Now I Understand! The World Now) that discusses major news events in a lighthearted fashion. It was quickly condemned online as racist and inaccurate, with a Twitter hashtag “I protest against NHK”.
“I felt sick when I watched it. No love or respect to human beings. It’s too awful,” one Japanese Twitter user wrote.