Twitter reaction to City Press’ removal of ‘The Spear’ mixed

The decision by South African national newspaper City Press to remove images of ‘The Spear’ painting from its website has been met with mixed reaction on Twitter.

Editor-in-chief Ferial Haffajee said she made the decision to remove the image after some of her journalists received death threats.

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The announcement came barely a day after Haffajee said that she would not remove The Spear from her paper’s website.

Some Twitter users felt that she had done the right thing:

Others felt that those who had bought the newspaper on Sunday to express their support for freedom of expression had been betrayed:

The painting, by artist Brett Murray, has been at the centre of news in the country for over a week now. At one stage South African president Jacob Zuma went to court in an attempt to have the painting removed from the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg where it was being exhibited.

Last week, two individuals set social media alight when they defaced the painting, damaging it irreparably.

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