Baltimore bridge collapse: 'Racist' cartoon on Indian crew on Dali ship sparks outrage

Baltimore bridge collapse: ‘Racist’ cartoon on Indian crew on Dali ship sparks outrage

A day after a massive container ship struck a bridge in Baltimore, US, leading it to collapse, a “racist” cartoon created depicting the incident has created an uproar on social media. Directed at the 22 crew members of the ship — who were Indian — the illustration shows unkempt men dressed only in loincloths preparing for the impending crash.

“Last known recording from inside the Dali moments before impact,” it was captioned on X. The graphic also had the audio of people swearing at each other in English but with a strong Indian accent.

The cartoon was slammed by social media users not only for its racist depiction of Indians, but also to show the crew in a poor light especially when Maryland governor Wes Moore and even the President of the US, Joe Biden, praised them for their prompt action which led to saving countless lives.

“It’s shameful that people are mocking Indian crew for the tragic incident. Meanwhile the governor himself praised the crew,” wrote X user Pooja Sangwan (@ThePerilousGirl).

“Prejudice can cloud judgment to the point where one even ignores the fact that the Indian crew of the ship were the ones to take immediate action to save lives and minimise the disaster’s impact, something rightly acknowledged by POTUS Biden,” commented The Cinéprism (@TheCineprism). “Having said that this isn’t merely jumping to conclusions; but goes to show how racism against Indians has been normalized and since Musk’s takeover, this platform has become a breeding ground to spread racism and hatred against Indians. It’s high time this needs to be called out.”

A third user, MaxK (@kalpeshxattarde) pointed out, “Despite the ship being steered by a local American, the heroism of the all-Indian crew during the Baltimore bridge incident is undeniable. This highlights the importance of recognising and addressing systemic issues like racism.”

Speaking to the press after the Baltimore bridge collapse, Joe Biden lauded the prompt action by personnel on board the cargo ship. “Personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel prompting the local authorities to close the bridge to traffic before the catastrophic was impact, a move which ‘undoubtedly’ saved lives.”

Maryland Governor Wes Moore also said the crew’s quick ‘Mayday’ alert had saved lives. “We can confirm that the crew notified authorities of a power issue. These people are heroes. We’re thankful that between the Mayday and the collapse we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic. These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” Moore told AFP.