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Associated Press

An Italian airline has scuttled its promotional video featuring an actor in blackface as former president Barack Obama and apologised for the offensive clip.
The video, part of Alitalia’s social media campaign for a new Rome-to-Washington route, was met stunned disbelief when the airline shared it across social channels.
“Alitalia deeply apologises for the offence,” the airline tweeted Wednesday in an apology, saying it has since removed the video. “For our company, respect for everyone is mandatory, it was never our intention to hurt anyone and we will learn from what has happened.”
The New York Times reported an airline representative at first defended the controversial video when negative comments erupted on Facebook, noting that the actor wasn’t white and that “make-up was applied to highlight [his] features.”


Twitter users were quick to react.
“ Words fail me,” wrote Alberto Riva, managing editor of the travel news site The Points Guy.
“Alitalia dropped an ad featuring a white actor in blackface portraying President Obama. In 2019. Read that again,” tweeted activist April Reign, creator of the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.
Numerous brands have courted controversy in recent months with design choices that customers complained resembled blackface, the racist practice of darkening one’s complexion with make-up.
Prada creates diversity council after blackface outrage to ‘elevate voices of colour’ in fashion industry
In February, Gucci discontinued a black turtleneck sweater with a red-rimmed cut-out for the mouth, and Katy Perry’s eponymous shoe collection dropped two pairs of black shoes embellished with eyes and exaggerated red lips.
Burberry apologised that same month for sending a model down the runway at London Fashion Week in a hoodie featuring a drawstring knotted into a noose.
Last December, Prada stopped selling its Otto charm, a monkey-like figure with red lips.


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Italy

Italian airline Alitalia ‘deeply apologises’ for Obama video showing actor in blackface

Italian airline Alitalia has come under fire for a new video campaign featuring an actor in blackface portraying former US president Barack Obama. Photo: Alitalia

‘It wasn’t intentional’: Naomi Campbell defends Gucci following the ‘blackface’ sweater scandal

This face warmer from Gucci, reminiscent of blackface, prompted an instant Twitter backlash and forced the company to apologise publicly on February 6, 2019. Photo: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

FILE - In this file photo taken on Aug. 31, 2018, director Spike Lee, left, wearing a Gucci outfit, and Tonya Lee Lewis pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'A Star Is Born' at the 75th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. Director Spike Lee said Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, he will no longer wear Gucci or Prada until the brands hire some black designers, ‘’To Be In Da Room When It Happen" following a pair of blackface fashion fails. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, Associated Press

A screenshot taken on Thursday Feb.7, 2019 from an online fashion outlet showing a Gucci turtleneck black wool balaclava sweater for sale, that they recently pulled from its online and physical stores. Gucci has apologized for the wool sweater that resembled a "blackface" and said the item had been removed from its online and physical stores, the latest case of an Italian fashion house having to apologize for cultural or racial insensitivity. (AP Photo)

Gucci's spring/summer 2019 collection in Paris. MUST CREDIT: Jonas Gustavsson/MCV Photo For The Washington Post

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Naomi Campbell attends The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Prada creates diversity council after blackface outrage to ‘elevate voices of colour’ in fashion industry

Prada apologised in December and immediately withdrew bag charms that resembled black monkeys with exaggerated red lips.

FILE - In this March 13, 2018 file photo, director Ava DuVernay poses for photographers at the premiere of the film "A Wrinkle In Time," in London. Warner Bros. said Thursday that DuVernay will direct "The New Gods," a DC Comics property created by the famed comic book artist Jack Kirby. It's an elaborate science fiction work, part of Kirby's "Fourth World Saga," about two warring alien planets. It debuted in 1971. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 21, 2018, file photo, a model wears a creation as part of the Gucci women's Fall/Winter 2018-2019 collection, presented during the Milan Fashion Week, in Milan, Italy. Gucci, which designed this face warmer, reminiscent of blackface prompted an instant backlash from the public and forced the company to apologize publicly on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

Amid Virginia race row, Katy Perry pulls ‘blackface’ shoe designs; pop star’s been called out before for cultural appropriation

epa07361218 Katy Perry arrives for the 61st annual Grammy Awards ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, 10 February 2019. EPA-EFE/NINA PROMMER

Katy Perry shoes blackface

Katy Perry dressed as a geisha at the 2013 American Music Awards, for which she has called out. Now styles from her shoe line have been withdrawn amid claims they evoke blackface imagery. Photo: Handout

Italian luxury brand Gucci pulls jumper after complaints the item resembled blackface make-up

A screenshot taken on Thursday from an online fashion outlet showing the balaclava jumper that was recently pulled from Gucci’s online and physical stores. Photo: AP

News

World

Europe

Part of Alitalia’s social media campaign for a new Rome-to-Washington route, the video was met with stunned disbelief when it was shared across social channels


Part of Alitalia’s social media campaign for a new Rome-to-Washington route, the video was met with stunned disbelief when it was shared across social channels.


Barack Obama

Racism and other prejudice

Social media

Fame and celebrity

Italian airline Alitalia ‘deeply apologises’ for Obama video showing actor in blackface

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Part of Alitalia’s social media campaign for a new Rome-to-Washington route, the video was met with stunned disbelief when it was shared across social channels

Part of Alitalia’s social media campaign for a new Rome-to-Washington route, the video was met with stunned disbelief when it was shared across social channels