A US bar and restaurant has issued an apology after sharing ‘a vile anti-Semitic’ meme on Facebook featuring a picture of Anne Frank.
Atlantic Sports Bar and Restaurant in Tiverton, Rhode Island, shared a post on its official Facebook page following a heatwave the area has been experiencing.
The post, which was later deleted, showed a black and white photograph of Anne Frank while comparing the recent hot weather to ‘an oven’.
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The post prompted a swift backlash, with some people threatening to boycott the venue. Posting on its Facebook page, one social media user said: “Wow a racist pit. Don’t patronise until they apologise.”
Another wrote: “Atlantic Sports Bar & Restaurant absolutely revolting, you disgusting piece of human filth. Take responsibility for that horrific meme you posted. That was beyond horrific levels of poor taste.”
While someone else commented: “Unbelievable that anyone would find that funny. It's disgusting, horrific, and you need to actually apologise to start. And then again and again and again. I can't get my head around who would make the meme or share it. Shame on you."
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The original post was deleted and the eatery has since apologised in a follow-up post, which read: “The team here at The Atlantic wants to issue it's [sic] sincerest apologies for a deeply insensitive post shared by our account on 7/22.
"The post was poorly thought out and we realise that it was incredibly inappropriate and does not reflect our values as members of our community.
“There is no excuse for the sharing of this post, and there is nothing we can do to rectify it, all we can do now is offer our deepest apology to those who were rightfully hurt by our actions.
“The Atlantic Restaurant prides itself on being a tolerant, inclusive, and safe space for all people.”
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Atlantic Sports Bar and Restaurant’s Facebook page has since been deactivated.
The restaurants Yelp page has also been flooded with one-star reviews in response to the post, with the review site now flashing up a Public Attention Alert for those who are planning on leaving a review, stating: ”This business recently received increased public attention resulting in an influx of people posting their views to this page, so we have temporarily disabled the ability to post here as we work to investigate the content.”
Robert Trestan, a regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, told Newsweek: "It's unconscionable that it took the restaurant more than 24 hours to recognize the blatant antisemitism contained in the meme.
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"There is simply no excuse for posting a vile anti-Semitic message like this. Management and ownership should immediately educate themselves about the history of the Holocaust and stop the perpetuation of harm."
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Topics: US News
Claire Reid