Oxfam says sorry and denies cartoon 'Terf' is JK Rowling

Oxfam International has apologised and edited a Pride video after being inundated with accusations that it included a derogatory caricature of the writer JK Rowling.

The cartoon depiction showed a woman wearing a ‘Terf’ badge and pointing angrily at a group of figures in rainbow colours.

Terf stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist - a label often applied to Rowling by critics opposed to her controversial views on transgender people.

Rowling has always strongly denied that she is transphobic.

Among those angered by the cartoon were @LegalFeminist, a group of feminist lawyers, which tweeted: “This is the clearest possible bulk harassment of all Oxfam's gender-critical staff: deliberately demonising them with this hate-filled imagery.”

Yesterday, Oxfam removed, edited and reposted its video without the Terf badge-wearing character.

It posted a statement on Twitter, saying: “Oxfam believes that all people should be able to make decisions which affect their lives, enjoy their rights and live a life free of discrimination and violence, including people from LGBTQIA+ communities.

“In efforts to make an important point about the real harm caused by transphobia, we made a mistake.

“We have therefore edited the video to remove the term TERF and we are sorry for the offence it caused.”

The charity added: “There was no intention by Oxfam or the film-makers for this slide to have portrayed any particular person or people.

“We fully support both an individual’s rights to hold their philosophical beliefs and a person’s right to have their identity respected, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics.”

The move divided opinion, with some saying Oxfam was right and should not have apologised.