Canadian cartoonist 'fired' after Trump's illustration goes viral

A Canadian editorial cartoonist, Michael de Adder, was reportedly fired from his job after a cartoon on US President Donald Trump made by him went viral on social media. 

Taking to Twitter to explain his side of the story, Adder said, "I wanted to do my job as an editorial cartoonist, and they wanted me to do their job."

"The Premier of New Brunswick Blaine Higgs (newspaper) is a former Irving Oil executive and any cartoon I drew that was slightly critical of him was systematically axed. You want to know why I was let go? I wanted to do my job as an editorial cartoonist, and they wanted me to do their job," Michael de Adder stated in a series of tweets.

"With this said, I had been giving the NB newspapers what they want for several months. Trump wasn't on my radar. I work for Canadian newspapers so there's no need to cover Trump 24/7, Michael said, adding, "Canadian politics is quite interesting right now."

Michael de Adder is a Canada-based cartoonist who had been working with New Brunswick Higgs newspaper for a while after he was "let go" last week. 

The cartoon was a satire on Donald Trump's hardline immigrant policies depicted by him playing golf while being disturbed by bodies of drowned El Salvadoran migrants Oscar Martinez Ramirez and his daughter.  The migrants depicted in the cartoon, Ramirez and his daughter drowned last week while attempting to cross Rio Grande River from Mexico to the United States.

"Do you mind if I play through," the text written in the dialogue box of cartoon read.

A series of haunting photographs showing the father and child lying face-down in the water had also sparked anger in El Salvador and Mexico over the treatment of migrants.

"In the past two weeks, I drew three Trump cartoons. Two went viral and the third went supernova and a day later I was let go. And not only let go, but the cartoons they already had in the also can were not used. Overnight it was like I never worked for the paper. Make your own conclusions," Adder further said in another tweet.

This is not the first time a political cartoon has sparked a controversy. 

Earlier this month, The New York Times announced that it will no longer include daily political cartoons in its international edition, while apologising for publishing a caricature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deemed anti-Semitic.

The cartoon, published in April, depicted Netanyahu as a guide dog wearing a Star of David collar and leading a blind Donald Trump -- who was wearing a kippah, or a Jewish skullcap.

It prompted an uproar within the Jewish community, with Israel's ambassador to the UN likening the drawing to the content of Nazi propaganda tabloid Der Sturmer.