A charity regulator has said all charities should engage in a “respectful” way after Oxfam was criticised for releasing a video which showed a character many said drew resemblance with Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

The charity Oxfam has received a backlash on social media after a Pride video was released which included a cartoon depiction of a woman wearing a “terf” badge which many said looked like JK Rowling.

The organisation, which was founded in Oxford, was forced to remove, edit and repost the video which showed the woman wearing a trans exclusionary radical feminist badge, but the charity stressed that there was never any intention to portray a particular person.

Oxford Mail: The Oxfam Pride cartoonThe Oxfam Pride cartoon (Image: Oxfam)

The charity commission, a regulator, has since told the Oxford Mail that all charities should “engage publicly in a way that is respectful and considered”.

A charity commission spokesman said: “We note that Oxfam International has apologised for the concerns caused by its video and has made changes to it.

“We have carefully considered the issues raised.

“Oxfam International, the organisation that posted the video, is not registered in the UK or registered with us.

“Oxfam GB, which is registered with the commission, has submitted a serious incident report to us detailing its response to the reputational damage caused by the incident, and we have concluded that there is no further role for us as regulator.”

An Oxfam international spokesman said: “There was no intention by Oxfam or the film-makers for this slide to have portrayed any particular person or people”.

“Oxfam believes that all people should be able to make decisions which affect their lives, enjoy their rights and live a life free of discrimination and violence, including people from LGBTQIA+ communities.

“In efforts to make an important point about the real harm caused by transphobia, we made a mistake.

“We have therefore edited the video to remove the term ‘terf’ and we are sorry for the offence it caused.

“There was no intention by Oxfam or the film-makers for this slide to have portrayed any particular person or people. “We fully support both an individual’s rights to hold their philosophical beliefs and a person’s right to have their identity respected, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics.”

A representation for Ms Rowling said she would not be commenting.

Oxfam was founded in Oxford in 1942 by a group of Quakers, social activists and academics.

It is a confederation of 21 charitable organisations that work to reduce global poverty.

The organisation faced controversy in 2018 when allegations of sexual misconduct emerged.

The allegations concerned staff working in Haiti in the aftermath of a devasting earthquake in 2010.

Workers were said to have engaged in 'sex parties' and the organisation was later banned from future work in Haiti.