The University of Western Australia (UWA) Student Guild has apologised for any “discomfort” its satirical newspaper “may have caused” to the Western Australian Jewish community.
The guild’s annual ‘PROSH’ newsletter was released on Wednesday and features a cartoon of Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
The headline reads “Lobbied up the a$$” and presents the Israeli Prime Minister as a satanic demon, meanwhile Musk is bending the US President over holding a wad of cash.
Post its release the UWA Student Guild released a statement apologising for the way the cartoon may be interpreted.
“The cover illustration was intended as a satirical political caricature reflecting current American geopolitical issues, rather than a targeted commentary on any specific community. We regret that it has been interpreted otherwise and acknowledge the discomfort it may have caused,” guild president Nikhita Talluri said in a statement to The Australian.
Ms Talluri claims the publication was reviewed by defamation lawyers prior to release and added that several Jewish students were apart of the editorial process.
“Nevertheless, we recognise that some readers found elements of the cover objectionable. We apologise to those who felt uncomfortable or offended,” Ms Talluri added.
The newspaper is released annually and is designed and edited by student volunteers at UWA. It is then sold to members of the public with all proceeds being donated to Western Australian charities.
