June 27, 2008

Barack Obama 'monkey' phone advert row

monk1_681210c.jpg A mobile phone advert apparently portraying Barack Obama as a monkey has provoked a new row about racial depictions of the Democratic candidate, reports The Telegraph.

"The commercial, for the Japanese firm EMobile, shows a monkey (the company's mascot) in a suit addressing an election rally.

The word “change” features prominently on screen and on posters in the crowd, leading to complaints that the animal is a depiction of Mr Obama, whose campaign slogan is “Change We Can Believe In”.

There is no suggestion that the EMobile intended the advert as a racist slight."