A taxpayer-funded art project has reignited a firestorm of controversy on social media after images posters demanding “Straight White Men Pass The Power” began circulating on social media. The provocative artwork project, called the Artichoke Trust and designed by an artist from Marseille, has resurfaced after initially appearing in 2022, drawing widespread condemnation.
Artichoke Trust received £3 million in government art grants according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance. The group’s previous projects have included “street art” promoting causes like the Black Lives Matter movement and Palestinian liberation.
Respondents have questioned what “power” straight white men are expected to relinquish, given the perceived disenfranchisement they already face in a society where major public billboards openly disparage them.
Conservative MP Neil O’Brien slammed the British-taxpayer funded anti-white poster as “divisive” and “racist” back in 2022. Author Douglas Murray, who condemned the initial posters two years ago, expressed outrage over the double standard.
“When I see such a piece of public insult, a number of things cross my otherwise tranquil mind,” he wrote. “The first is a desire to put a foot through the billboard in question.”
Murray pointed out that similarly worded messages targeting other demographics would likely be condemned as hate speech. “But when it comes to not just insulting straight white men, but actually hectoring them, then it seems no one can be bothered to raise a whisper of objection,” he lamented.
Comparisons have been drawn to the case of activist Sam Melia, who received a two-year prison sentence for “inciting racial hatred” after distributing anti-immigration stickers and others include one that read “It’s OK to be white” and “Reject White Guilt.” This case has fueled broader discussions online about concerns over a perceived “two-tier justice system.”
Critics argue that while Melia faced harsh punishment for his actions, in 2017 the same judge spared a man from jail who was found in possession of child and bestiality pornography.
In Britain, according to The Guardian, possession of child exploitation material gives an 80% chance of being allowed to walk out of court with suspended or non-custodial sentences.
This double standard has further stoked outrage over the differential treatment of offense, raising questions about the impartiality and consistency of the judicial system’s approach, with zero condemnation from the establishment or legacy media on the perceived racial hatred towards white people in the “artwork.”
The resurfacing of these divisive posters has reignited debate over freedom of speech, the use of public funds, and the perception of double standards in addressing what some view as anti-white rhetoric.
As the controversy continues to unfold, questions remain about the appropriateness and consequences of such provocative art projects backed by taxpayer money.
