Once told my white girlfriend that her skin looked like a defeathered turkey and that didnt go down well...and she has not gotten over it since then...that was five years ago!!

Mkwamkwa Akututupupukwengo, Lowestoft,

It seems that the warning on the book already is sufficient enough. The above comments, however, intend to claim that 'there's nothing wrong here.' Bravo, chaps.

VKM, London,

You can afford to say "get over it" because it is not a caricature of YOU. There are people who still deal with this kind of nonsense everyday, myself included. I've been told, "You're really smart, not like other black people," and "you're the whitest black person I know," by people who think it's the most sincere compliment they could give me. It doesn't teach children "how it was and how not to be" because it doesn't teach them anything, EXCEPT that Africans are idiots who worship dogs.

Pam, US,

Well, has much changed in the world since then? Racism is still very rampant and I cannot see a children's book being the cause of that. IT IS FICTION! People are so sensitive. Get over it...

SA, USA,

As it has been said in the article, this books only shows how ignorant the European society was at that time. It's up to the parents to, first check what they are reading, then explain to their kids the real picture about Africa.

I read this book (In French) as a kid and never actually saw black people depicted in the book as being stupid and the white being clever. As a kid, what I could see was that Tintin was very clever and courageous. End of the story.

I bought the book in English recently and only then, as an adult did I see the incorrectness of the story.
I think kids, being so naive, wouldn't put black=bad and white=good. They would only, as I did, see Tintin as being brillant.

In fact, the baddy in the story is actually white.

Yannick Lavanant, Carrigaline, Ireland

So the CRE is now advocating banning books. What's next? Burning them? Isn't there a little bit of danger here? Do they really not believe that people are smart enough to make their own minds up and understand literature and culture as being of its time and place?

All very depressing.

Ulrich Zwingli, Mons, Belgium

have just got this book down from my bookshelf as i bought it a while ago and what drops out the sticker saying the book is a collectors edition and also that some readers might find it offensive as it contains attitudes from 70 years ago.Perhaps the person making the complaint should have stopped and read this before winging on.Get a life and dont buy for your children if you havent got the time to explain to them the contents.

keith waldman, eastleigh, uk

frankly. life is getting too rediculous..

I may as well not speak.. incase some new issue comes up!!

this is suppose to be a free country.. a comic book so old hardly highlights bad blood on race.. one person in billions of people points it out and oh my god its in the papers and its a huge issue..

lionel, london, UK

It is very important to educate people on the level of racist ignorance that was so pervasive up until very recently. People would be shocked to find out that Britain's response to a proposed ban on dumdum bullets early in the last century was that they would only be used on savages and not Europeans!

We must be aware of history in order not to repeat it. Any racial minority will be better served by exposing the majority to such historical insanity than banning every piece of evidence that such stupidity ever existed. As an Irish person, I would prefer to hear a daft Irish joke than to see it banned.

Joe, brussels, belgium

The CRE are racist and should be banned as far as I'm concerned. They are similar to the one time East German secret police... they are full of biggoted warped individuals.

Chris , Exeter, Devon

I loved every issue I read of Tintin when I was younger. Why deny the British population the chance of reading such a wonderful story. It's international and allows the reader to think outside of his / her country. The stories refelct adventure. Is Britain becomming less adventurous? It seems so by groups wishing to ban almost anything that is remotely enjoyable. It's a shame that these groups, when they are offended by something, feel that everyone else would benefit from their narrowmindedness.

Jon , London, No longer live in the UK

Im not saying that these images are ok but they were created in 1930! They have a warning on them!?!?1 I enjoyed Tintin when I was a child and I never once thought it was about racism! It's a story about a young reporter and a dog that is all! It's people who point this kind of thing out that would make me aware of the racist undertones!

Reeee, UK,

Tom Sawyer - insulting Southeners
The Broons - insulting Scots
Jack and The Beanstalk - insulting to Giants etc etc

get a life people !

Craig Campbell, Glasgow, Scotland

No comments!?
Probably because anyone who try's to open a debate about this will also be labelled a racist, and so anyone with an educated opinion will be scared of that consequence.
Free speech, not anymore.

Pete, St Albans,

The CRE to calls for books from a different age to be banned because they "are promoting the racist view that black people are disposed to violence and must be led, guided and commanded by white people".
Personally, I find reports from Mugabe's Zimbabwe, Mbeki's South Africa, (most of Africa, in fact) rather more convincing.

jasper, chelmsford,

I have a copy of this so called racist book simply because i am a Tintin fan and you may wish to ask Mr Enright why did he take off the warning notice which is visibly wrapped around the book to keep it closed and to warn people about the contents. By removing the warning notice and not purchasing the book surely Mr Enright must be reported for vandalism or is that too a one way street like racism. It is just typical of these type of people who force their views on everyone else.

Will, Glasgow,

"the fact is that while I was growing up, I was being fed the prejudices of the bourgeois society that surrounded me,” Herge said.

It's still happening mr. Herge. Only now it's called nanny-state "political correctness". Just the same "respectable" Sunday-school fascists behind it, though!

Al Green, Bristol, UK

Can I just say this is pathetic this book was written in the 1930's!!!!! I think racism is abit of a harsh word to describe the adventures of a boy and his dog. Sometimes human rights goes way to far when it comes to things like this, "Highly offensive" please... there are way more important things in the world to worry about than this.

Tina, Birmingham,

I think Borders took the right moderated approach, it could be argued that small children might get the wrong impressions from unrepresentative material, although taken in isolation this is unlikely.
Banning any book is draconian and ridiculous, so moving this particular book to a section where readers are mature enough to take it for what it is, makes perfect sense.
Perhaps if the book included Hergé's retrospective comments as a foreword, it would help place it in the correct context and avoid further over-zealous attempts at censorship.

Simon, Calne, Wiltshire

What was Tintin doing in the children's selection? It's not for kids.

starling, Lancaster,

"I was aghast to see page after page of representations of black African people ... speaking like retarded children,” he wrote."
As the mother of a child with Down's syndrome who has considerable problems with her speech, am I allowed to be offended by Mr Enright's comment? I rather like the look of Tintin. Must go out and buy the book.

Marion, Colchester,

Steven, Fareham, Hampshire - those who wouldn't have seen the racist material are usually those who think it is OK to portray people of colour in an appalling animalistic and derogatory way. It is simply unacceptable in the 21st Century.

Hayley, Oxford,

After reading this article I feel compelled to say that I find this plea to ban Tintin books absolutely outrageuos! I read all of the books as I was growing up and must say that any 'racist' aspects went straight over my head. These books are meant as adventure books which, I for one, read before I even knew what the word racist meant.

Why should a cartoon book which was written in the 1930's be forced to changed in anyway from its original? Times were different back then. You cannot change that. Placing the books into the adult section will only encourage children to seek them out as they will seem forbidden to them?

Why don't people simply educate their children to realise that we live in better times now. We should not try to hide the way things were from the next generations. They should learn from them as we did.

Lari Meyer, London, London

I find it absolutely absurd that a book that was written a long time ago (80 years, I think) should be at risk of being banned in these days of rap artists talking about drug use, guns,and referring to women as 'bitches' - are these things okay to be said to a wider audience than the Tintin books receive?

How far do we go wth this kind of nonsense? I agree that the views from the era that the book was written in were wrong - skin colour does not matter one iota but history does and we should learn from it. How can we encourage people to think for themselves when they are denied the choice of what to read?

What is to be banned next? Shall we ban snow because it covers everything in that terribly racist colour - white? Unfortunately some people don't seem to know when to stop and Tintin books will now receive more attention, and deservedly so in my opinion, because they give people the opportunity to read simple adventure stories from a time that is no more.

Craig huxley, Thessaloniki, Greece

How on earth can a cartoon adventure of Tintin, which includes a scene featuring Tintin being made chief of an African village because he is a “good white man”, be judged by the CRE as being racist & highly offensive &.should not be sold in Britain. This comic article was first published in 1930 when people from all over the world held common sense views resulting in the publication being well received, enjoyed & accepted for what it was – a story. But today’s pc brigade, championed by the CRE whose beliefs & outlook seem to be based on shallow, narrow-minded, one-sided & mischievous views, seem to have lost contact with the real world. The publishers said that every edition delivered recently to shops had a band of paper around the outside making clear the content could be considered offensive by some based upon todays imposed standards &warns that it features “bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the period”. This latest publication has been very popular in Africa. It’s not racist

Lynda Plum, London, england

Do you still have Shakespeare on the shelves in the UK? Down with him, he is a racist. Dante is an anti-semite. The Bible is full of hatred against the other nations. Rudyard Kipling is tsill considered a racist in India.
Trying to hide or rewrite history has never brought much advantage or progress.
It would be preferable to explain to children that there is and has been racism, that there still is racism and do something about that.

san deurinck, Khon Kaen, Thailand

The idea of Tintin being "raist material" disgusts me. The cartoons which i read throughout my childhood have never once inluenced me as a young man to be a "racist", and i firmly believe that the racism watchdog either has little else to pick up on, or has not noticed the fact that the stories were written when the bourgeois society was not restrained by the political correctness which affects everybodies lives so much today. Tintin is entertaining, fun, and does not discriminate. At the same time i see no resemblance in pictures of Black characters to baboons or monkeys.
The idea of a dog being crowned as a king is in no way racist in my opinion, is not the idea merely created as humour for the audience?
Finally i believe that in certain stories, Tintin is pertrayed as a liberator of Slavery when freeing slaves on their way to Mecca from Africa. In what way is racism displayed in those circumstances?

Max-Vincent Wentzel, London, Putney

"bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the period" ? Who do they think they are?! The suprme council of the soviet?!

Peter, Portsmouth,

Well then, let's just ban everything that does not agree with the new, politically correct viewpoints of our leaders. After all, Noddy and Big Ears are already no-nos because they sleep in the same bed, and Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men promote drug-use. In fact, let's not just stop at books. Movies such as 'Breakfast at Tiffanys' and 'Casablanca' portray smoking as a positive, sophisticated behaviour - why not ban them as well??

Can anybody say "Book Burning"?

Roland, Perth, Australia

Can a White person be involved in anything in todays day and age without being accused of any type of racism or prejudice?

Phil, Norfolk, VA, USA

I'm an enormous Tintin fan, but I'm surprised that Congo is on sale again - when I was growing up, you'd never see it - it was only republished 10 years ago. I'm buying the books for my son now, and I don't think I'd buy him this one.

If Herge regretted them, I don't know why we should be promoting them.

Shouldn't be banned, obviously, but I think Borders moving them to the adult section is reasonable - If I was standing looking at the display and my son wanted it, it might be uncomfortable.

Tom, London, England

I think the understanding with most Tintin fans is that the raciskm is SO crude that it becomes (unwittingly perhaps) self-parody. Having said that it probably isn't a book for children, and maybe Borders are right to move it.

Rob, Truro,

Banning books...a great idea if you like fascism. Let the free market do its job. How many people, other that collectors, will buy this book? Not me and I'm sure Borders is capable of taking a hint and removing it from the shelves on its own accord. Big brother is a big bother!

J Fauconberg, Cambridge, England

"Mr Enright is white and is married to a black woman."

What does this mean?

Arnold Tolhurst, Sheffield,

excellent, a book burning. All caring, liberal people love a book burning.

Bob Frigo, Bristol,

All censorship is wrong. I cannot understand why the CRE is given taxpayers' money when the taxpayers have no say over it. There is a whole mass of such organizations who take great delight in telling the mass of people what they cna/should do or not do - I include the Health and Safety brigade, the British Medical Association, the CRE etc. Who gave these organizations th right to tell us what to do and think. As for banning books - tell me which democratic countries do this and which authoritarian ones do not? Censorship, banning etc is the mark of an authoritarian society. Rewriting history will lead us to 1984.

Ian Burgess, Bristol,

Utter PC tripe.

Matt, London,

woo woo

Paul , leicester, leicestershire

If you follow the (false) logic of this decision through to it's conclusion then all books, literature, art, opinion, works of fiction should be banned because they may cause offense to someone or other. That means that this article, the Times website and indeed the internet should be demolished too.

Oh what a wonderful world that would be. Unfortunately the CRE and other useful idiots live in their own world and do not represent the majority of rational thinking beings.

Russ, Reading, UK

Good on you CRE! I've just finished reading Congo and it has converted me from an open minded, reasonable liberal into a raving racist! Anyone reading Tintin will surely realise that black people really are indistinguishable from baboons, and need to be governed by a dog. If it's in print, it must be true...

Brainwashed, Hong Kong,

So the CRE decree that certain books - selected by themselves- should not be sold in the UK. What next - public burning of selected publications? This organisation and the people within it live, breath and exist to monitor all and any activities for real or imagined racial overtones. If that sounds racist, you would be correct. The title "Commission for Racial Equality" sounds very laudable, but by their own actions and activities it should be "The Commission for Racial, Social and Cultural Erradication and Revisionism". All races and cultures have broad and diverse differences. These differences have changed over the history of each culture to a greater or lesser degree and we should embrace not only the differences but the history of the changes. If the CRE cannot practice tolerance, why should anyone else.

Jonathan Mills, Brighton,

What's more offensive to black people - some silly caricatures of Africans by a cartoonist in a bygone age, or the CRE assuming that all black people (including those who, unlike the CRE employees, don't actually make a healthy living out of discovering things to be offended by) are so sensitive and insecure that they're going to be upset by some silly caricatures of Africans by a cartoonist in a bygone age?

Edward, Manchester, England

Well, has much changed in the world since then? Racisim is still very rampant and I cannot see a children's book being the casue of that. IT IS FICTION! People are so sensitive. Get over it...

SA, USA,

What about freedom of speech/expression/thought/press etc? Are we going to ban/edit all older literature that doesn't conform to today's standards? Right then, best get started on Shakespeare's work, for example. Good idea, that is. What about Asterix? What on earth is this Enright and the Commission for Racial Equality thinking? It's PC gone mad, AGAIN. We get a lot of that these days, don't we?

Also, is sheltering our kids from things like this a good thing? As long as we let them know that such attitudes and opinions are not acceptable, then why shouldn't they read such comics and books?

I myself am 'foreign' (in appearance) as I am adopted. I know that if i were African I'd be embaressed to cause such a popular children's book to loose face by being shelved in the pornographic section of Borders just because some white lawyer thought his wife would be offended at story time. Did he even ask her if she was offended?

Richard Burns, Leek, Staffordshire

I note that this book has shot up to number 10 in the Amazon bestsellers list.

Keith Nield, Virignin - France,

To say "if you don't like it, don't read it" is symptomatic of craven apologism for discrimination - whether it be the racism in Tintin or the blatant classism in Blyton. Just because they were the product of their time doesn't make them any more credible. And I don't buy the "oppressed white people" position. It's difficult to be oppressed when you're in the majority.

Chris Page, Letchworth Garden City, UK

Get over it. It was written whent he world was different place.

Read as it should be read stop being so defensive. it teaches the children of today how it was and how not to be.

Charlotte, London,

You missed Biggles. For years I thought all foreigners leered instead of smiling.

Still, if you want to be reassured that casual racism in fiction not only isn't dead but is extremely popular, read a few contemporary Russian "detektivy" novels. You will also be able to assess firsthand whether, as a member of a negatively stereotyped group, you find the depiction bullying or just sad. I opted for "sad".

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

I treat with suspicion anyone who can write “bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the period — an interpretation some readers may find offensive”. and be serious about it.

David, Dunedin, New Zealand

I have always detested the publicity stunts made by the CRE. Yes, racism is unnacceptable, but the CRE make a mockery of themselves. I used to loath the time Trevor Philips was in charge (is he still?) because he would get away with contemptuous and vacuous complaints AND the media would soak them up.

Is the CRE driven by public opinion or old-fashioned, racist claptrap? I think we should be told.

Martin, Berks, England

Should we be encouraging kids to read in the first place instead of trying to nanny what they read? Surely there are worse information sources around. And as usualy, if anyone decides something is not suitable for kids maybe its the parents responsibilities? I'd rather my kids read a tongue in cheek naive book about the life of a belgian detective than to be out in the streets burning cars out like all the other kids who got bored because the books they were reading got taken away from them.

But then if they ban this book, maybe it'll appear more attractive than car burning...

Charlie, Cambridge, UK

What ROT - the book was written over 70 years ago and only an idiot would ignore the fact! Lets go through the history of literature and remove all racist/sexist tomes - we can start with the Bible, work our way through Shakespeare to Dickens on to Enid Blyton etc etc. Spokeswoman, you should be ashamed of yourself - as my dear old mum would have said - 'Show some sense'.

Kevin McD, London,

Don't fight it. Go with it. In fact encourage every book available to be checked in the light of the enlightened attitudes and knowledge we enjoy today. For example, Frederick Engel's 'The Condition of the Working-Class in England
in 1844', Page 6, "The pettifogging business tricks of the Polish Jew, the representative in Europe of commerce in its lowest stage ..." ,

And the many racist references in 'The Good Soldier Schweik' by Jaroslav Hašek.

Perhaps, one could offer a bob a reference discovered. Or even introduce it as a project in schools 'find the racist reference'.

Miller, Zurich, Switzerland

There's alot of racism in history, will they ban history books next?

What about in religious figures, some of them are very racist, should the government start condeming religions it does not seem fit?

There are some silly people out there.

George K, West Drayton, UK

I am currently in the process of doing research into the perception of the values of Tintin. While the research is not yet published the preliminarly findings interestingly point out that people are no more likely to find Tintin rasict if they have read Tintin in the Congo, than if they had not. Infact it is if they have read Tintin in the Soviets, the first of Tintin's adventures.

I feel that Tintin should be treated as a commentary on a cultural era, and that the books should be read in historical and cultural context, accnowledging, as Hergé did, how the times have changed (Tintin later confronts rasicst characters who are mistreating his friends). Keeping the warning arround the book allows readers to make an educated personal judgement about the book.

Removing it from publising will mean we are ignoring our history, history we may not be proud of, and not allowing people to learn from our history.

Hannah, Exeter, Devon

Racism is wrong, stupid, and unjustifiable. It's a sign of ignorance and should be recognized as such.
But forcing people to ignore it doesn't make it go away, and stifling even the offensive nature of this freedom of expression is still stifling freedom of expression. The US is still going over this with Twain. And, while Tintin may not have the literary merit Twain has, the point still holds. Let people educate theirselves and let the book go out of production for lack of sales, which would be a far greater pronouncement than forcing it off the shelves - despite the fact that no one group could take credit for it.

Rich, Dallas, TX

Don't ban it! I'm black and I loved Tin Tin books - it's not like anybody reads them anymore, it's not like anyone actually READS these days!

sarah, southsea,

Typically pathetic that our warped national obsession with political correctness should come to this- perhaps our multicultural utopia of a society would be a better place if we nurtured the value of history and letting children make their own decisions about the content of this book. You never know, they may even think for themselves and learn something positive...

I grew up on a diet of Tintin books (amongst others) and I am not a racist or a criminal, nor was I as a child. I do however remain inspired to travel the world and learn about other cultures partly as a result of the places I saw depicted in Herges drawings. Chew on that CRE...

Matthew, Guildford,

Remember Tintin in Tibet? Or the generic eastern kingdom? Most of Tintin is racist and misogynist. So why just make a fuss about Tintin in Soviet Union or the Congo! Most of them are pretty disgusting but with some adult guidance (like we had) can prove far more effective educational tools than sanitized contemporary stuff. So kids will learn that racism exists and thrives on stereotypes. And when they face that, they will be ready to counter it. We did!

Anamika, London,

Those who advocate banning books are intolerant of any views other than their own. Whilst we can all agree that the widespread racism of previous times was ignorant and unjust, we can't deny the past. And what is to be gained from doing so in any event, since that is how we understand the present and shape the future?
Ultimately, if we ban or burn books we are no better than the Nazis.

E Kerfoot, Chester,

Absolutely ridiculous.
This book was written in 1930.
One must first apply the context during which it was written before making absurd judgements.
Herge's books were clearly meant to entertain millions of fans around the globe, not offend a small minority who seem to have far too much time on their hands.

Nino Mowinckel, New York, USA

CRE ..What a bunch of authoritarian moral hypocrites! An excellent recruiting agency for the far right.

They should butt out trying to censor the public's access to literature.

Borders - stick to your guns and damn them all!

Martin , Rotherham , England

thanks for making me aware of this book. I have just order my copy before the PC brigade censor anymore of what I can and cannot read past, present or future.

Mr Honkey, london,

Is it not testimony to the level of racial harmony that exists in this country that the CRE (badge: a wooden spoon) can only come up with this to create a fuss over (and thereby justify their generous taxpayer-funded salaries and perks)?

DGH, Kirkcaldy, Great Britain

"The Merchant of Venice" will be the next to have a wrapper round it for its racist depictions.

Harry Collier, Malmesbury, England

I read the Tintin books as a child and certainly never got the impression that white people are superior to blacks through these comics.

This is surley another example of political correctness gone mad.

What next? How about a black milky bar kid? Would that please everyone?

James, Portsmouth, Hampshire

To withdraw this book from sale outright is taking too extreme a reaction. By all means sell the book with a content warning, but this book is a piece of history and should not be buried, regardless of the offensiveness of its content now. It is of course a good thing that society has progressed to a stage where such racist content is no longer acceptable - and on that basis new literature including such content should not be tolerated! Admittedly, I do look back fondly on both this book, and Little Black Sambo, as books from my childhood - and am pleased to report that I was not corrupted by them - the innocence of my youth didn't even register racism as an issue! I believe that as long as book-buyers are warned of the content - in the right hands this book is harmless.

Sue, London,

Little Black Sambo was my favorite book when I was in infants school, and our deputy head would read it to us again and again.
Funnily enough I remember more about the colourful clothes than the colour of the characters which was just a detail. Little Black Sambo was neither portrayed as stupid or strange, rather as a normal little boy. The PC brigade imagines racism where it is not.
I also enjoyed reading Tintin in the Congo, collecting golliwogs, and the black Asterix characters such as the pirate or the Nubian slave that runs out from under a table to deliver messages. Does that make me racist - I think not.
Literature, the arts and TV all highlight or poke fun at stereotypes, including white ethnic groups (the Irish for example). God save us from the PC brigade who believe we are incapable of separating fiction from fact...

Lux, Nancy, France

What should be banned in this country are money-wasters such as CRE. Why on Earth do we pay taxes for such an institution? They do nothing useful and create problems that don't exist to have something to fix. Job for life.

Salman Rushie has just been knighted. Some find his literature offensive as well. I am scared to suggest this idea to CRE, as they might take it seriously, but why not to ban Rushie as well?

Michal, London, UK

This is ridiculous..... but Osama Bin Laden's son will soon certainly be granted a visa..well done Britain!

Mark, London, UK

Books such as TinTin are a product of their time, these books should not be banned or changed just to suite political correctness. We do not change the bible because they hold beliefs people disagree with, so do not interfere with other books.

Mabon Dane, Haverhill, Britain

what is the big deal, its a childrens book. the whole story was written in the 1930's which were alot different so how can you ask someone to change the title of a 80 yr book, Get over it, theres a line you gotta draw with this sort of protest and people moaning and im sure if i wanted to i can go and find a book that is racist towards me,my religion and anything else for that matter, if you dont like it then dont read it, enough said.

mike, yorkshire,

Ah yes, indeed. When i read these fools at the CRE, i am reminded of why i go to Bangkok 4 times a years. To see the temples of course.

Samuel Young, Paris, France

We cannot deny that some books were written like this years ago - do we destroy all Bibles and religious texts, for instance, because they are discriminatory to women etc., etc? Of course not. We do not take things so literally these days.

Let them be. That was then, this is now.

This is a very very old chestnut indeed. Let's move on...

Yawn.

Annie Hancock, Bath, UK

Looks like a laugh. I've just ordered one from Amazon.

Stan, Morpeth, England

Next we have the book burning! the Nazi's burned books! How about the original Labour manifesto? Offensive to Nu Labour. Or the Bible? Offensive to Atheists. Harry Potter? Offensive to fundamentalist Christians. Who will decide which books may be published?
We appear to be going back to the days of the Lord Chamberlain who decided in my lifetime what could be shown in theatres.

Howard Scott, Basildon,

There was obviously no malicous intent when this book was written in the thirties so could not have been considered racist. Why then should it condisered so now? There is nothing in here that is vindictive or racist. The Commission for Racial Equality should get off it's high horse and do something of worth.

TimOwers, Oxford, UK

I personally feel that we can all go past these stereotypes and enjoy the books for their literary value.

Let's all stop looking too deeply into subtexts and learn to accept differing opinions.

Calmflare, Singapore, Singapore

Its really sad that this has to be pointed out but the fact is that if this was any other topic such as rape, which was accepted on some levels in the early 1900's then we would all be up in arms. I find the whole thing offensive as a black person but are you really telling me that it couldnt have been adapted in any way

doreen, manchester, England

what claptrap. I despair of a viewpoint which labels Tintin stories as racist. This sort of witchhunt must be extremely satisfying to a certain sort of mentality which seeks to eliminate from literature produced decades ago elements which it deems retrospectively to be offensive. It reminds me of the activities of I think it was the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's famous novel which would not tolerate what were deemed unacceptable references in reported material. Leave well alone please.

peter sanders, reading, uk

How on earth can a cartoon adventure of Tintin, which includes a scene featuring Tintin being made chief of an African village because he is a “good white man”, be judged by the CRE as being racist & highly offensive &.should not be sold in Britain. This comic article was first published in 1930 when people from all over the world held common sense views resulting in the publication being well received, enjoyed & accepted for what it was – a story. But today’s pc brigade, championed by the CRE whose beliefs & outlook seem to be based on shallow, narrow-minded, one-sided & mischievous views, seem to have lost contact with the real world. The publishers said that every edition delivered recently to shops had a band of paper around the outside making clear the content could be considered offensive by some based upon todays imposed standards &warns that it features “bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the period”. This latest publication has been very popular in Africa. It’s not racist.

Lynda Plum, London, england

Britain without the influence of Tintin has managed to produce racist skinheads of NeoNazi Mosleyite proportions, throughout the entire 20th century and beyond. Banning something only makes it more attractive, and the correct approach is to market potentially abhorrent material by responsibly and objectively pointing out its departure from accepted new societal norms. In the same way banning Mein Kampf in Germany does not eliminate the Nazi right-wing ideology: it merely intensifies its attraction to those already predisposed in that direction. It is well to remember that the so called Liberal meets the so-called Fascist head on coming from diametrically opposed directions, with the result that they cannot be told apart. Let everything out in the open and educate: banning is the approach of the intellectually disadvataged!

geoff klass, johannesburg, south africa

I read all the Tintin collection as a young boy. I agree that a significant part of Herge's work is full of bourgeois, chauvinistic, racist and anti-communist prejudice, but i disagree that reading it makes you necessarily buy the ideas it contains. It is important to place Tintin in its historical context: the colonial period. Tintin is indeed offensive today, but banning it would amount to nothing else than censorship against any piece of material that recalls our very own dirty past. It is important that future generations learn from our mistakes and i'm not convinced that this will be best achieved by hiding the evidence!

Pascal Mailier, Reading, United Kingdom

Under New Labour, this nation has become obsessed with political correctness. Many adults in the western world grew up reading Tintin but there is no solid evidence to proof that they have turned racist. The story plot is set in the 1930s when many parts of the Asia-Pacific and Africa were still colonies so the attitude simply reflects the reality of the time. If Tintin is to be banned then what about books or biographies on Winston Churchill? The latter was against the independence of the Indian Subcontinent. So should they be banned on grounds of racism and imperialism?

Peter, Norwich, UK

This is so lame, This is why I hate modern britain and I'm only 19. I could have read that book and not seen any racist material in it. Perhaps the people who see this racism are having the problem with people of other origin.

Steven, Fareham, Hampshire

this country has become and still becoming more ridiculous. Everywhere from the government and its tentacles, to NGOs, our freedoms and liberties are being eroded. Pretentious people and organisations persist in imposing their beliefs on the general populace as if they control everyones morality.
This is highly offensive in itself for people that are both educated and never have remotely been incited by these innocent stories from the past.
I do wish that people of sound and open free minds dismiss and ignore such pronouncements with the contempt many of these pronouncements deserve, and judge their messengers accordingly.

William, deal, kent

Nobody is under any doubt concerning the totalitarian credentials of the euphemistically named CRE. Everything they say and do gives them away. The only thing that should be banned is the CRE.

Tony Rogers, Plymouth, England

What with Sir Liam Donaldson telling everyone what is to be "socially unacceptable", it now appears the CRE has the remit to tell us what we can and cannot read. My reply - Foxtrot Oscar!

J. D. Smith, Liverpool,

Rin-tin-tin and these other stories mentioned are childrens stories written in an era prior to the Political Correct Zealots, which now pervade our society. Banning these books is yet another way of erradicating or re-writing British heritage, many of todays adults have fond memories of reading themselves or being read these stories by parents.
They were not interpreted by children as racist, no more than a child thought anything of Noddy sleeping with Bigears, it is adults who place their own perception onto the children which is damaging, not the books themselves.

Les, Southport, England

If Herge were alive today Zimbabwe would be an excellent locale for his next adventure - "Tintin in Zimbabwe" taking care of Robert Mugabe and his cronies. It is very disappointing, but the eighty year old prejudices do seem to have some basis in fact.

Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

This is really pathetic, i have read tintin comics and own a couple of them myself. These comics were made in the 1930s and obviously will contain material which some will find objectable. Clearly Mr Enright will be offended as he is married to a black women, his views are biased and should not be accepted. The CRE is just a racist organisation discriminating against europeans and their culture. Instead of promoting racial equality they instead use reverse racism attacking whites. The CRE should be banned. I dont think its acceptable to be blatently and overtly racist towards people but this is an old comic and is just an example of history, if you dont like it dont read it. Other peoples views should be forced on everyone.

karen, Perth,

ok, so these may be offensive to some people - those people shouldnt read it.
this book was written in 1930, in this country we were still stopping some people from riding the bus as late as 1950 due to their colour/race. people in this country have very short, very selective memories.
I thought this was a free country, in no way is this inciting racial hatred, it is just percieving what the view was when these books were written and we can now look at these and accept our history and that now we are different. man, people need to stop this complaining bs. this nanny society of taking offence at everyones point of view is getting crazy! there are plenty of books taking the mick out of young white english males but if that section of the community were to pipe up and complain of prejudice, they would be laughed at. bottom line - if youre offended by something - ignore it, if not then your losing out to whoever your trying to complain about

ed klint, bristol,