Statement by Virgin Islands News Online over cartoon posted on June 15, 2020
However, because of our obligation to be accountable to our readers, we wish to make it clear that the cartoon in no way seeks to downplay the seriousness of the global campaign against racism, racial injustice and police brutality.
Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) strongly rejects all forms of discrimination, including racism, racial injustice and police brutality, whether in the Virgin Islands (VI) or anywhere else.
VINO’s extraordinary record
To say that VINO is downplaying the ‘Black Lives Matter movement’ or even the tragic death of Blacks in the United States at the hands of racist police mobs, cannot be supported with facts, as we are one of the few media sites that have consistently published articles about injustices not only in the Territory but worldwide.
It is no coincidence that VINO has been following and publishing stories about issues relating to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests, including the killing of George P. Floyd Jr and most recently, Rayshard Brooks.
We have also published stories of local legislators condemning racism and injustice and violence against Black people.
For example, on June 13, 2020, we published the article ‘Premier calls for elimination of racism in all forms & places' and on June 9, 2020, we ran the story ‘We in Virgin Islands not immune to racism'- Dr Wheatley.
The main message of both articles was for the elimination of racial injustice, particularly against persons of African heritage.
VINO remains ahead of the class on justice for all issues
Additionally, VINO has been the only news site to report that a march against racial injustice, in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ bringing light to racism and police killing of Blacks in the USA, is being planned for June 20, 2020, on Tortola. This article was published on June 12, 2020, with caption ‘March against racial injustice being planned for VI’.
We will make no apology for ‘white guilt’ over a history of colonialism and racism and a few (the same old crew) who continue to seek the attention of our esteemed founder, the Honourable Julian Willock, Speaker of the House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands, who has nothing to do with the cartoon or the day to day operations of the news site.
The cartoon in question was created out of statements made by Commentator Claude O. Skelton-Cline on his Honestly Speaking weekly show on June 9, 2020, when he likened some of the actions and policies of the United Kingdom and the current Governor as having their knees on VI’s collective neck.
An article on Mr Skelton-Cline’s statement was published by this news site on June 13, 2020, captioned ‘UK & Governor have 'knees on VI's collective neck'- Skelton-Cline.
We are concerned that some residents with their own agenda and a few known racists (Caucasians) have deliberately taken to social media and misinterpreted our cartoon but we are honoured to also clear the air by presenting the facts and putting this matter to rest.
Looking attention; not going to work
In addition, its head shaking that some locals with dubious characters, like a former teacher and political aspirant with a shady past, now seeking attention, will use this cartoon to seek political points. Their lack of moral qualities have preceded them, so, therefore, no one is taking them seriously, particularly, the good people of District 3.
To our surprise, a failed civil servant professing to be a Christian, who was given an opportunity to run an important government department where she treated her workers and some members of the public with disdain and insensitivity and was chased out of the Department because of her incompetence, had the audacity to call business persons and go on social media asking advertisers to not support the news site.
This kind of social media bullying is reserved for those with lots of time on their hands and little contribution to society.
The good thing is that VINO believes in our readers and many others have already called to say we can see right through the agenda of the few trying to be relevant, over a cartoon which in its proper context is harmless.
Double standards?
Maybe, as a society, we should be outraged when a few years ago children were going to bed hungry while $7.2M was ‘gone with the wind’ from our treasury, or teachers were forced to purchase teaching aids from their pockets while over $1.6M was spent on a small high school wall.
Where were the social media postings and outrage? Was there a call to boycott any of the businesses that engaged in a $50M overrun on the Tortola Pier Project? Funds we need now as we start the 2020 Hurricane season or struggle with the COVID-19 fallout?
We continue to be grateful for the tremendous support from our readers locally, regionally and internationally, and stand committed to accurate reporting, speaking truth to power, ensuring we live and work in harmony while not shying away from the issues that matter and providing relevant satire via our cartoons.
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80 Responses to “Statement by Virgin Islands News Online over cartoon posted on June 15, 2020”
We stand with vino M****n trying hard to get the news site down he child predator
M***n and his gang need to be in jail let’s talk about that no justice for our taxpayers
Everybody upset about this but not about the missing plane and funny man still out in the streets and it in jail
BLACK LIVES DO MATTER! STOP KILLING US!!!
much other things we should be get up tempo for. The killing of the 13 year and the killer still in the lose. 7.2M airplane deal gone wrong (our money) etc. let’s put that energy into real serious issues.
Don’t forget funny man like boys too yes he’s on that side of the fence
The fact that many persons jumped on the band-wagon of bashing VINO and not looking at the root of the issue and where it ACTUALLY STEMMED FROM is soooo Troubling!! We are on VINO for pretty much animating what was SAID on a LIVE broadcast by CLAUDE SKELTON!!!! I DIDN'T SEE ANYONE RAISE HELL OVER WHAT HE SAID!!! I HAVE YET TO SEE ANYONE TRY TO BOYCOTT HIS SHOWS & BUSINESSES & CALL FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES TO SHUT HIM DOWN BY REFUSING TO ASSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH HIM!!!! This is the height of Hypocrisy!!!
Road
Water
Lights
Scooters
Cartoons etc etc
He cant shut a dam thing down wat the @###$ all think we living in ..this a democratic society..freedom of speech...because he name governor.....we is government....
However I feel you crossed the line depicting the governor with his knee to the neck.
Think about it...the crown had your back here after Irma, and the pandemic and for years before that and will be there for the next catastrophic event here. Trust me there will be one. Governor Jaspert does not deserve that kind of press. You can do better then that!
We totally stand by you Vino. Need to call out this racist bigot **** who thinks only whites should be allowed in uk. They send us the most Aryan looking to dictate to us how to run our country!! Even his name is emperor. No empathy or sensitivity. That’s the uk Government for you......Why we pay millions for them to live in opulence here with black servants? Why only whites in office high paid? Why those jobs not advertised to us belongers? Premier and vino can you investigate
Why Governor only speak now?! Did he care when George Floyd was murdered? Only cares about his own PR.?
Media investigate him and his office.
We totally support you VINO.
Thank you for exposing this Governor
White privilege is having a big unpaid fancy house, g***** job and still have your wife competing with locals for work during a pandemic. Y’all don’t get the injustice people talking about. they come small and large. The black bvislander is too less to teach rich w**** kids. Then all you come on here bringing down a news site. This the cheapest political shot ever!!!! Disgraceful!!!! [Vino you’ll thank me later]
Black Britons Matter. Blacks are approx 3% of the UK population but 8% of people dying in custody. Was Governor jaspert sickened by the thousand of Black people lynched in UK and US. Was he sickened by the thousands of slaves murdered, brutalized and dehumanized in the colonies. Was he sickened by slave labour building the UK economy but neither slave nor their descendants have gotten a farthing. The UK borrowed £15M to compensate slave owners. Was he sickened by the ill-treatment and no man’s land situation of the Windrush Generation. Was he sickened by racist Enoch Powell’s River of Blood speech in April 1968. Was he sickened when Barack Obama, the 44th President and first Black to elevate to the US Presidency (Is it a coincidence that the UK has not had a Black Prime Minister as yet, being a country much, much longer than the US), was caricatured as an ape; Michel Oboma caricatured as ape in heels.
He is a media w….e and likes being in the press so he knows about freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press. We celebrate the press when it is lavishing us with praise but it is the devil when it does something that we don’t like, especially if it is about us. VINO has been cartooning for years so has he ever spoke out against other images? We got to roll with the good, the bad and ugly. So what is next muzzling of the press? Get some old wife kin mehson!