British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has withdrawn his new children’s book from sale after far-left aboriginal extremists accused him of stereotyping indigenous people.
Oliver’s book Billy and the Epic Escape, the sequel to his bestselling 2023 debut Billy and the Giant Adventure, contains a subplot about an aboriginal girl living in foster car who gets abducted by the novel’s villain.
But the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC), a taxpayer-funded advocacy group that advises the Australian government on education policy and uses ahistorical left-wing language such as “first nations“, objected to the depiction and demanded Oliver pull the book from shelves.
NATSIEC chief executive Sharon Davis, who demands to be referred to with “they/them” pronouns, told The Guardian that Oliver’s portrayal of aboriginals was “irresponsible and damaging, reflecting a profound lack of understanding and respect”.
She claimed that the novel “ignores the violent oppression of [indigenous] people, raising serious concerns about the cultural safety of [indigenous] readers – especially young people” and accused Oliver of adding to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of [indigenous] peoples and experiences”.
Ms Davis objected to the indigenous child character being from Alice Springs but using words from aboriginal tribes from other parts of Australia, and for saying in the book that she can communicate with animals and plants because “that’s the indigenous way”.
“We urge Penguin Books and Jamie Oliver to recognise the impact of their content and take swift action to prevent further harm,” she said.
“Penguin Books should pull Billy and the Epic Escape from circulation, specifically removing all content involving [indigenous] characters and cultural references.”
Oliver and his publisher Penguin Random House UK responded to the claims by agreeing to NATSIEC’s demands and issuing grovelling apologies.
“I am devastated to hear I have caused offence and wholly apologise for doing so. I am listening and reflecting and working closely with my publisher on next steps,” Oliver told The Guardian.
PRH UK said: “Penguin Random House UK publishes this work and takes responsibility for the consultation, or what we would call an authenticity read of the work. It was our editorial oversight that this did not happen. It should have and the author asked for one and we apologise unreservedly.”
