The Australian defends 'racist' cartoon on freedom of speech grounds

The Bill Leak cartoon showing Indians attempting to eat solar panels was labelled 'unequivocally racist', but newspaper claims critics didn't get joke

The Australian newspaper has defended the publication of Bill Leak's cartoon depicting starving Indians eating solar panels on the grounds of "freedom of speech".

The cartoon, labelled "unequivocally racist" by Macquarie university sociology professor Amanda Wise, ran in the newspaper on Monday after the global deal in Paris to reduce carbon emissions. It showed Indians attempting to eat solar panels sent to the developing nation in a box labelled with United Nations insignia in an attempt to curb carbon emissions.