China McDonald's apologises for Guangzhou ban on black people
McDonald's is in damage control mode after a restaurant in China displayed a sign banning black people from the premises.
The sign, which recently circulated on social media, said the McDonald's location in Guangzhou has "been informed that from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant." now stands at 636, up by some 70 more cases.
Again, for those who still doubt that Black people and particularly #AfricansinChina are being targeted we feel it is our duty to share this. A sign at a @McDonalds restaurant seems to make this perfectly clear pic.twitter.com/FaveKrdQHi— Black Livity China (@BlackLivityCN) April 11, 2020
The sign is "not
representative of our inclusive values," McDonald's said in a statement.
The sign was removed and the location was temporarily closed down. CNN
has not yet been able to authenticate the video.
The industrial city has been steeped in racial tensions between Africans and locals. Recent warnings from Chinese officials about the rising number of imported coronavirus cases have stoked anti-foreigner sentiment. Africans
in the southern Chinese city have been evicted from their homes by
landlords and turned away from hotels, despite many claiming to have no
recent travel history or known contact with Covid-19 patients.
McDonald's (MCD)
said it will use the closure to "further educate managers and employees
on our values, which includes serving all members of the communities in
which we operate."
Guangzhou
has long had the largest African community in China. Because many
Africans in the city have short-term business visas, they travel into
China several times a year, making it difficult to calculate the size of
the African population the city. But in 2017, approximately 320,000
Africans entered or left China through Guangzhou, according to Xinhua.
This isn't the first time McDonald's garnered controversy overseas. Last November, it pulled an ad in Portugal
that used the words "Sundae Bloody Sundae" to promote a Halloween
dessert. Bloody Sunday is the name for the day in 1972 on which British
soldiers shot unarmed protesters in Derry, Northern Ireland, during the
Troubles -- resulting in 14 deaths.
The coronavirus has been detrimental McDonald's business
this year. Last week, it reported that sales at restaurants open at
least a year plunged more than 22% in March, led by a nearly 35% decline
in its internationally operated markets.
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