Trudeau: Brownface Photo From 2001 Was 'Racist,' Dumb Mistake

Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that it was “racist” for him to wear brownface makeup and a turban to an “Arabian Nights”-themed party in 2001. And I am deeply sorry for it.” Liberal spokesperson Zita Astravas told HuffPost Canada in an emailed statement earlier that Trudeau attended the annual school event “with friends and colleagues dressed as a character from Aladdin.” Trudeau said that while he didn’t consider wearing the get-up as a racist action at the time, “now we know better.” When asked by a reporter if there are similar incidents from his past that may not be public knowledge, the prime minister revealed that he sang “Day-O September 19, 2019 Green Party Leader Elizabeth May took to Twitter to say she was “deeply shocked” by the image. — Elizabeth May September 19, 2019 The National Council of Canadian Muslims called the photo “deeply saddening.” “The wearing of blackface/brownface is reprehensible, and hearkens back to a history of racism and Orientalist mythology which is unacceptable,” said executive director Mustafa Farooq in a statement on Twitter. Since becoming prime minister in 2015, Trudeau has made a point of promoting Canada’s multiculturalism, repeatedly saying that “diversity is our strength.”