Sydney Uni newspaper slammed for 'vulgar' and 'offensive' coverage of Queen's death

A Sydney university student paper has been slammed over its ‘offensive’ coverage of the Queen’s death.

The student paper Honi Soit has been widely criticised for photoshopping an image of the Queen at the morgue with her son, newly crowned King Charles’ identifying her body.

Next to the gruesome photo is a headline that reads: “Queen dead, Charles next.”

Rather than being a tribute to Her Majesty, the publication speaks about how Queen’s reign was built on a dark history of colonialism.

The article reads: “Elizabeth II sat on a throne that was deeply, inextricably implicated in the exportation of cruelty, exploitation, and dehumanisation that formed the British Empire. Her vast wealth is the spoils of colonisation.”

The article also pointed out how the monarch’s neutrality on politics was merely to protect her family’s controversial past, in which she was ‘deep entangled’ in.

It adds: “Why is it that we hold this woman, whose wealth and whiteness existed on an almost metaphysical scale, in such high regard, and not that of those who suffered under her reign?”

While the piece raises some valid points as to why the monarchy should be abolished, many have lashed out against the newspaper.

Liberal Democrat Candidate for Wentworth Daniel Lewkovit wrote in part: “Sydney University rag Honi Soit has disgraced itself with a vulgar cartoon of the Queen and her Son standing over the body in a morgue. Vile.”

Sydney University rag Honi Soit has disgraced itself with a vulgar cartoon of the Queen and her Son standing over the body in a morgue. Vile. One student makes an excellent point. It's as applicable to the ABC and so much publicly funded art that's otherwise totally unwatchable. pic.twitter.com/1MzP0zy80b

— VoteLewko (@VoteLewko) September 14, 2022

I agree, it is disgraceful and offensive, but my stance on this remains.
Honi Soit should be free to publish this article despite how offensive or disgraceful it is providing that it causes no harm.#DefendFreeSpeech #USYD #QueenElizabethII #KingCharlesIII @Sydney_Uni https://t.co/xjLnSuatpk

— Aleksandar Goji (@AleksandarGoji) September 15, 2022

Another shared on Twitter: "I agree, it is disgraceful and offensive, but my stance on this remains. Honi Soit should be free to publish this article despite how offensive or disgraceful it is providing that it causes no harm.”

While the University of Sydney Conservative Club President Cooper Gannon told Sky News: "Particular concern should be drawn to the timing. The funeral hasn't been held yet and they felt emboldened to publish the image."

Following the public outrage, the newspaper editors told The Australian that they stuck by its decision to publish the article as they hoped to ‘remind readers that Elizabeth II sat on a throne that was deeply, inextricably implicated in the exportation of cruelty’.

They added that they were yet to receive backlash on campus as most of their peers have responded to the article positively.