A cartoon mocking the Indian crew of the Dali – the cargo ship that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore – triggered outrage in the Indian diaspora. The cartoon which first appeared on X (formerly Twitter) appears to be AI-generated racist imagery created by U.S.-based webcomic Foxford Comics. The video features barefoot Indian men clad only in loincloths, standing in muddy water while clasping their heads in shock, and shouting in thick Indian accents, as the ill-fated Dali crashes into the pylon supporting the bridge.
The racist post followed news that the Dali had a 22-man Indian crew on board.
On Wednesday, March 26, the Dali, a cargo ship headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka lost power and smashed into the Frances Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River. Six construction workers lost their lives in the incident, but a timely MayDay call from the ship’s crew saved further casualties from happening. With seconds to spare, authorities were able to stop traffic from entering either side of the bridge.
President Biden and Maryland Governor Wes Moore hailed the Dali crew and bridge authorities as heroes.
On social media, however, trolls reacted to the news with racist memes using ethnic slurs about the incident. On X, a user known as @DiogenestheD0G posted the following image.
Read the rest at India Currents
