Leaks, apology-deletion top of mind as Global Affairs mulled 'Wuhan Clan' shirt controversy
Global Affairs Canada emails highlight response to China's outrage over shirts created by Canadian diplomats parodying popular rap group
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Publishing date:Nov 15, 2021 • 14 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
A portion of a Chinese social media post decrying 'Wuhan Clan' shirts ordered by Canadian diplomatic staff in China earlier this year.
The logo was a take-off 0f the rap group Wu-Tang Clan, but Chinese bloggers and officials decried it as 'racist' after confusing 'W' logo with a bat
A portion of a Chinese social media post decrying 'Wuhan Clan' shirts ordered by Canadian diplomatic staff in China earlier this year. The logo was a take-off 0f the rap group Wu-Tang Clan, but Chinese bloggers and officials decried it as 'racist' after confusing 'W' logo with a bat Toronto Sun file
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Supposed diplomatic corps leaks weighed heavily on Canadian officials in the wake of a story published earlier this year by the Toronto Sun.
And officials with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) discussed at length how long a quietly-posted apology for a diplomatic spat with China should stay online before it was deleted.
Emails obtained through access to information legislation reveal concern among senior GAC staff that one of their own was “talking out of turn” after interviews with an unnamed official were published in the Sun’s Feb. 4, 2021 story about a diplomatic controversy with China involving T-shirts featuring an altered logo of a popular rap group.
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Outrage on Chinese social media spread quickly after Beijing-based Canadian diplomats ordered shirts sporting the phrase “Wuhan Clan” — a satirical alteration of American hip-hop supergroup Wu-Tang Clan — to mark the one-year anniversary of a challenging mission of evacuating Canadians out of Wuhan ahead of pandemic lockdowns.
Chinese bloggers and government officials decried the shirts as “racist,” confusing Wu-Tang’s stylized “W” logo for a bat.
“We have someone speaking out of turn,” read a Feb. 5 email by Issues Management Director Anabel Lindblad, bringing the Sun’s article to the attention of superiors.
Discussions about weeding out the official who spoke to the Sun were followed by urging from Director-General Weldon Epp to remind staff that speaking with reporters was forbidden.
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A draft of a short-lived statement quietly posted online in response to the ‘Wuhan Clan’ shirt controversy. Emails show officials discussed when the statement should be deleted once they were certain it was read by Chinese officials.
A draft of a short-lived statement quietly posted online in response to the ‘Wuhan Clan’ shirt controversy. Emails show officials discussed when the statement should be deleted once they were certain it was read by Chinese officials. Screencapture
A readout of a Feb. 1 phone call between Epp and a representative from China’s embassy in Canada depicted the Chinese official implying the shirts violated the Vienna Convention.
Epp acknowledged the row as an “unfortunate misunderstanding,” and expressed disappointment over the Chinese government’s decision to make the issue bigger than it needed to be.
Canadian officials were also concerned if staff secured permission from Wu-Tang to use their logo, leading to a discussion about whether messaging should omit references to the group.
A statement of apology in English, French and Chinese was drafted, but emails suggest efforts were made to ensure as few people saw it as possible.
“I’d rather we avoid the subject in the title,” Lindblad wrote in a Feb. 7 email.
“And no need to push this out by email.”
She suggested removing the statement from GAC’s website soon rather than later, as suggested by Assistant Deputy Minister Stephane Levesque, but GAC Executive Policy Director Shawn Steil suggested waiting a day to ensure the apology’s removal “does not become a story itself.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
Global Affairs Canada emails highlight response to China's outrage over shirts created by Canadian diplomats parodying popular rap group
torontosun.com