Alan Sugar Twitter: BBC breaks silence on World Cup tweet following backlash over 'racism'
ALAN SUGAR posted a tweet which was branded “racist” earlier today. He has since deleted it and and apologised, and now the BBC have responded to the backlash, calling the upload “misjudged”.
The 71-year-old star of The Apprentice tweeted the picture alongside snaps of sunglasses and handbags laid out on white sheets to his 5.47 million Twitter followers.
“I recognise some of these guys from the beach in Marbella,” he said. “Multi-taking resourceful chaps.”
After social media users flooded to the comments section to brand his post “racist”, the BBC broke their silence on the controversial incident.
“Lord Sugar has acknowledge this was a seriously misjudged tweet,” a statement on the BBC press office’s account read. “And he’s in no doubt about our view on this.
“It’s right he’s apologised unreservedly,” they told their 144,000 Twitter followers.
After Lord Sugar posted the now deleted tweet, fans voiced their outrage on the social media site, with one saying: “It’s clearly racist.”
“Well this is terrible,” another wrote, while a third explained to someone who asked why it was “racist”: “The entire joke revolves around you making a stereotype based on the colour of somebody’s skin.
“You’re fired,” they added, quoting Lord Sugar’s famous The Apprentice catchphrase.
Lord Sugar later apologised for the tweet, saying: “I misjudged my earlier tweet.
“It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired.
“I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry.”
Before he deleted the tweet, he wrote several messages in response to criticism from fans.
“A shocking, vile tweet that you take a screen grab of because you know it will soon be deleted,” BBC journalist Babita Sharma said.
Retweeting the comment, Lord Sugar replied: “If it is so vile why have you retweeted it. You make me sick.”
Regarding another Twitter user who said: “Why take it down if it was so funny and not racist in any way @Lord_Sugar?” he said: “If it’s so bad why have you retweeted it.”
He also posted: “Just been reading the reaction to my funny tweet about the guy on the beach in Marbella.
“Seems it has been interpreted in the wrong way as offensive by a few people.
“Frankly I can’t see that I think it’s funny. But I will pull it down if you insist.”
All the posts from his account have now been deleted except for the apology and a retweet of the BBC’s statement.
Express.co.uk contacted a representative for Lord Sugar asking for comment, but were told they were not available at this time.