Close to 100 protesters from the NAACP gathered outside the News Corp. headquarters in Midtown Manhattan Thursday to rally against the publication of a controversial cartoon in the New York Post.

The editorial cartoon that appeared in the newspaper Wednesday depicts two police officers shooting a monkey, with a caption above them saying: ?They?ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.?

Civil rights leaders were outraged by the cartoon, claiming that it compared President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee that was shot and killed in Connecticut Monday after mauling a woman.

Some local elected officials are calling for a boycott of the New York Post, saying that the cartoon is not only offensive to African-Americans, but also sends a threatening message to President Obama.

Col Allan, editor in chief of the New York Post, denied claims of racism, saying the cartoon was merely intended to mock Washington?s efforts to revive the economy.