Two pictures of Justin Trudeau in blackface surface hours after he apologized for brownface photograph
Hours after Justin Trudeau apologized for putting on brown make-up to attend an Arabian Nights party in 2001, two more damning photographs of the Canadian prime minister emerged dressed in controversial blackface. Blackface is the practice of wearing makeup and costumes by non-black people to appear as a person of color. The practice, which is seen as a disparaging stereotype, is strongly criticized by the Aboriginal community, civil rights and anti-discrimination groups and activists.
In one of the new photographs, Trudeau can be seen dressed up as singer Harry Belafonte to sing "Day-O", a Jamaican song, at Jean Brebeuf High School at a talent show. He graduated from the school in the early 1990s.
While the second controversial photo is taken from an undated video given to Global News. The outlet reportedly confirmed with a senior member of the Liberal campaign that it was Trudeau. MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) could not independently verify the authenticity of the picture. The image shows a person wearing blackface, raising his arms and sticking his tongue out while dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt.
Trudeau, on Wednesday, apologized after the brownface picture of his emerged on social media. The image was taken in 2001 when he was a 29-year-old teacher. It shows him dressed in a turban and white robe with brown make-up on his face as he attends an Arabian Nights party.
The Canadian leader, in a press conference on his campaign plane, acknowledged that the picture was racist and apologized for not having known better. "I'm p***ed off at myself, I'm disappointed in myself," Trudeau said.
"When I was in high school I dressed up at a talent show and sang ‘Day-O’ with makeup on," he revealed even before the blackface images were released.
"'I should have known better then but I didn't, and I am deeply sorry for it," he said. "I shouldn't have done that. I take responsibility for it. It was a dumb thing to do. These are the situations I regret deeply."
Trudeau has been hit by the scandal just a week after he launched his re-election campaign and the resulting backlash could undermine his chances for a possible win with less than five weeks to go before the country's elections.