A prestigious British arts festival has come under fire after inviting an antisemitic cartoonist to be a keynote speaker.

Mohammad Sabaaneh’s cartoon portfolio includes a litany of antisemitic images. One such piece depicts a stereotypically Jewish figure nailing Christ to the cross, with Jesus wearing a keffiyeh. A second one shows a Jewish character fleeing the Holocaust towards “Palestine” while carrying a lit match and a gun.

Another portrays a Jewish locust preying on Jerusalem, while a fourth features a hand emblazoned with the Star of David controlling the United States and the United Nations. A cartoon reminiscent of the Nazi era shows an octopus wearing an Israeli flag on its helmet spreading its tentacles across the globe and has also been attributed to the Arab artist.

Beyond his antisemitic doodles, Sabaaneh’s social media account is littered with support for Hamas.

“If Ukrainians had taken the steps Palestinians just took, would they be seen as heroes?” Sabaaneh wrote on X right after Hamas launched its deadly massacre against Israel on October 7. After Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran last month, he wrote, “Our blood is not more precious than the blood of our people.”

Although his past controversial works won’t be displayed at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF) next week, Sabaaneh is scheduled to speak at the event as part of an exhibition called “Comics From The Arab World.”

“We are fully aware of Mohammad Sabaaneh’s past work, and our decision to include him in the festival was made after careful consideration,” LICAF organizers defended their decision in a statement on Saturday. “Mohammad’s role at the festival is as an artistic ambassador, celebrating Palestinian comic art.