Artists are on standby, offering to paint the cartoons back in at no expense to the taxpayer.
In early July, the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, ordered cartoon murals at an asylum centre for unaccompanied children in Kent to be painted over. The Tory minister had claimed the redecoration had cost nothing, but an FOI request later revealed, it had cost taxpayers £1,549.52.
The colourful murals boasted images of many cartoon characters, including Mickey Mouse and Baloo from the Jungle Book. However, Jenrick was concerned that they were too welcoming and sent the wrong message. Staff at the centre for small boat arrivals were said to be horrified that they were ordered to remove the drawings. The opposition and immigration charities were also dismayed by the order. Stephen Kinnock, shadow immigration officer, said it was a sign of a “chaotic government in crisis, whose failing approach means all they have left is tough talk and cruel and callous policies.”
Charlotte Khan of the refugee charity Care4Calais, shared her dismay, saying:
“If Mickey Mouse is too ‘welcoming’ for ministers, the question is what will they replace him with in order to inflict more fear on traumatised asylum seeking children – Maleficent? Ursula? Maybe even Cruella herself? The real villains in this sorry tale are Robert Jenrick and the rest of this heartless bunch that call themselves ministers.”
Jenrick attempted to defend the move when questioned repeatedly by MPs in the House of Commons at the time, saying the unit was still “high quality” and offered “appropriate support”.
“The cohort of unaccompanied children who passed through last year were largely teenagers and we didn’t feel the site was age-appropriate, but it does contain a range of support for children and infants,” the Tory minister said.
Amid the backlash, calls are growing for the artwork to be restored. A ‘Cartoons not Cruelty’ campaign has been launched. More than 130 artists, creatives and art institutions in Kent have signed an open letter to Suella Braverman, calling for the cartoons to be reinstated. The letter reads: “This [axing of the murals] does not reflect the values of compassion and kindness that run deep in Kent’s community. That’s why we are appalled. We are writing to tell you that we are here on standby to help set things right.”
The campaigners have also launched a petition, which is addressed to Robert Jenrick and is also calling for the cartoons to be restored. The petition describes how the removal of the murals is a ‘needless cruelty against children who already face immense hardship.’ It continues how children arriving at the centre in Kent are alone and seeing cartoons ‘could help provide a small moment of escape.’
“Cartoon murals may seem trivial. But, if it can draw just a smile, a moment of comfort or normalcy to a child facing distressing circumstances, then it is worth it. And we need to remind ministers to stand for compassion, not cruelty,” state the campaigners.
The petition has already attracted almost 120,000 signatures.
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Cartoons not Cruelty
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