Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Borat film has been accused of “inciting violence” by a group of Kazakh Americans.
The movie, which recently came out on Amazon Prime, sees Baron Cohen reprise his role as a hapless Kazakh journalist who inserts himself into wacky and dangerous situations in America.
In a letter to three senior Amazon executives published on social media, the Kazakh American Association stated that the film “may cause irreparable harm to Kazakhstan’s national image and people as its comedic nature may justify ethnicity-based harassment”.
It added: “This film incites violence against a highly vulnerable and under-represented minority ethnic group.”
A petition demanding the retroactive cancellation of the film’s release has also garnered more than 110,000 signatures.
Kazakhstan’s official tourist board, on the other hand, has adopted Borat’s catchphrase “Very nice!” for its new campaign.
The decision came as a surprise after the country’s government had previously banned Baron Cohen’s original Borat film in 2006 over the mockumentary’s depiction of the country.
Borat 2 has been well-received by many critics, including The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey, but has faced condemnation from some people who unknowingly appeared in the film, including professional babysitter Jeanise Jones and Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
