Anti-black sentiments spread through China, specifically towards the African community, in wake the COVID-19 pandemic.
A McDonald’s restaurant in China has temporarily shut its doors following a racial scandal that was exposed on social media this week. A clip went viral on Twitter this week a sign at a McDonald’s location in Guangzhou that banned black people from entering the restaurant because coronavirus. This is part a recent anti-foreigner sentiment that’s been on the rise ever since Chinese ficials warned about the amount cases COVID-19 that have arrived from people coming outside China.
Joe Raedle/Getty s
The sign read, “We’ve been informed that from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant. For the sake your health consciously notify the local police for medical isolation, please understand the inconvenience caused.”
McDonald’s issued a statement apologizing for the sign, claiming that it’s “not representative our inclusive values.” With the location shut down and the sign now removed, McDonald’s announced that they’d use the closure to “further educate managers and employees on our values, which includes serving all members the communities in which we operate.”
Africans that were living in Guangzhou have been turned away from hotels and evicted from their homes due to these anti-foreigner sentiments, even though many the residents claiming that they haven’t travelled recently nor have had any contact with COVID-19 patients.