CANADIAN PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to definitively say how many times he has worn brown or blackface after yet more damaging images surfaced.
Trudeau issued an apology this week after a school yearbook photo surfaced from 2001 showing the politician wearing brownface at an Arabian Nights themed costume party held at the school where he previously worked as a teacher.
Time magazine published the photo featuring a 29-year-old Trudeau dressed in a turban and robe with dark makeup on his face and hands.
Exclusive: Justin Trudeau wore brownface at 2001 ‘Arabian Nights’ party while he taught at a private school, Canada's Liberal Party admits https://t.co/j3UobfYNIF
— TIME (@TIME) September 18, 2019
In the aftermath of the image’s circulation a second instance of Trudeau wearing blackface surfaced, with the second image coming from a school talent show where the PM performed Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat Song (Day-O).
Trudeau apologised saying he "deeply regretted" his actions and "should have known better."
"I take responsibility for my decision to do that. I shouldn't have done it," he said.
@JustinTrudeau in blackface at Jean Brebeuf high school. #cdnpoli #elxn43 #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/q6v5bgYJvJ
— Robert Fife (@RobertFife) September 19, 2019
"I should have known better. It was something that I didn't think was racist at the time, but now I recognise it was something racist to do and I am deeply sorry."
However, a third instance has now surfaced with Canada’s Global News television network broadcast a video of Trudeau in blackface raising his hands in the air and sticking out his tongue. It’s not clear when the video was film.
Speaking just a month ahead of elections in Canada, the 47-year-old begged Canadians for forgiveness.
In less than 24 hours, three instances of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau wearing racist makeup in the past have surfaced.@mercedesglobal reports on the video that Global News exclusively obtained, shot in the early 1990s, of Trudeau in blackface.
MORE: https://t.co/RLVs4QX0Ui pic.twitter.com/Q2TT73QtCS— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) September 20, 2019
Trudeau said: "Darkening your face regardless of the context or the circumstances is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface.
"I should have understood that then and I never should have done it."
