The BBC has been accused of racism for drawing a link between black people and eating fried chicken in an online video report.
The corporation sparked outrage on Monday with a tweet which said “Black people and fried chicken – is there any truth in it?”
https://twitter.com/1alexcam/status/793225344388108288
It was accompanied by a video segment where various young people discussed the phenomenon, against a backdrop of large pictures of chicken.
After a huge backlash online, BBC staff deleted the tweet and replaced it with a more innocuous one:
Black people like chicken more than others – myth or reality? https://t.co/yIOsUTzUXl
— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) October 31, 2016
One young woman suggested that black people she knows eat fried chicken because they believe “it makes their bum bigger”.
Two young black men suggested that black families favour chicken because it is less fatty than other meats, so reduces the risk of diabetes.
The segment prompted outrage from the media, and drew condemnation from outlets as diverse as BuzzFeed and the Kremlin-sponsored broadcaster RT.
The BBC asked if black people really like fried chicken and people are not happy https://t.co/oXonhiiAcc
— BuzzFeed UK (@BuzzFeedUK) November 1, 2016
'Black people and fried chicken': #BBC’s #BlackHistoryMonth tweet sparks online backlash https://t.co/qnxl9NBQP1
— RT (@RT_com) November 1, 2016
Black People: We have a rich history & a multitude of things to talk about
BBC: Ok let's talk about them, sooo is it true you like chicken?
— B (@NoTweetsByBilal) October 31, 2016
Rachel Dolezal must have been appointed as head of social media for BBC newsbeat
— Iqra (@Iqra_ifm) October 31, 2016
In a statement to Heat Street, the BBC said: “These short films show young people from various backgrounds discussing their experiences of dealing with different stereotypes, which accompanies a wider documentary looking at racism in the UK.”
