US newspaper apologises

After two days of protests, the New York Post apologised for a cartoon that some have interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police.

After two days of protests, the New York Post apologised on Thursday for a cartoon that some have interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police. But the newspaper also said its antagonists exploited the image for revenge.

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The qualified apology didn’t mollify some of the cartoon’s critics, who said they might continue protesting on Friday.

The newspaper posted an editorial on its website on Thursday evening saying the cartoon was meant to mock the federal economic stimulus bill, but “to those who were offended by the image, we apologise.”

The piece was posted hours after 200 picketers chanting “Boycott the Post! Shut it down!” marched in front of the paper’s office, saying the cartoon echoed racist stereotypes of blacks as monkeys.