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A Public Relations director has lost her job after a deeply offensive tweet she posted went viral.
Justine Sacco on Friday posted on her Twitter account that she was visiting Africa and was hoping not to get infected with AIDS but was later sacked by her employer, InterActiveCorp (IAC), following the global furore the post attracted.
“Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!” she said on her account when she was about to board a plane in London for Cape Town last Friday.
The tweet immediately sparked global outrage leading to her sacking. She only realised the anger when she landed.
Sacco was the Chief Communications Director for IAC, a media and internet company. She was relieved of her duties following the angry response.
Although she deleted the tweet and later her account, the post had already been picked up by thousands of Twitter users who retweeted it.
There were over 3,000 retweets before the post was pulled down. According to social news site BuzzFeed, her name was tweeted more than 30,000 times, and the hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet almost 100,000.
Her employer said they had parted ways with Sacco although it was not clear whether she had resigned.
“The offensive comment does not reflect the views and values of IAC. We take this issue very seriously, and we have parted ways with the employee in question” the company said in a statement.
“There is no excuse for the hateful statements that have been made and we condemn them unequivocally. We hope, however, that time and action, and the forgiving human spirit, will not result in the wholesale condemnation of an individual who we have otherwise known to be a decent person at core,” the company added.
Kenyans were equally infuriated by the post with many saying it was racist and did not capture the reality on the continent.
“Justine Sacco, is it ignorance or being aloof with world happenings?? #HasJustineLandedYet” asked Joy Doreen Biira on Sunday.
“That someone thinks it is funny to insinuate that Africa is the 'AIDS infector' is proof of racism” said Jelimo Chelagat.
High profile figures also condemned Sacco's tweet.
“I think someone's been sent to the naughty chair... @justinesacco” tweeted CNN host Piers Morgan.
Additional reporting by agencies
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