PC brigade go to war over ‘blacked up’ soldier
TO most people, this photograph shows a British soldier wearing camouflage paint in the jungle – and a rather comical expression.
But after it was tweeted lightheartedly by the Army, several claimed it was racist because the serviceman was ‘blacked up’ – like acts in the Sixties and Seventies now seen as politically incorrect.
The image, showing a soldier with an assault rifle during a training exercise in Belize, was captioned: ‘Being a soldier in the jungle requires a robust sense of humour.’
Following the fuss, however, top brass apologised and removed it.
The image was shared on social media, with critics claiming it was ‘trivialising and indulging racism’.
One tweeted: ‘Camp and blacked up. British army living in the 70s.’
Another added: ‘I detest the idea of non-white people fighting for a counArmy try that sees their skin colour as something to joke about.’
A Twitter user made light of the situation, saying: ‘Social media manager role going at @BritishArmy.’
But Joanna Hollins tweeted: ‘Imperialist, racist, and cruel; this attitude can crawl back to the 19th century and stay there.’
However, others defended the tweet, with one saying that those who ‘call it racist are racist’.
A Twitter user called Chris said: ‘What’s wrong with it? It’s called camo. It helps not being shot.’
Another said: ‘I am really disappointed that you deleted that tweet. The army should be made of strong stuff, not caving in like that.’
One replied tongue in cheek: ‘Shame the British Army account took that picture down already, I was enjoying the robust sense of humour on display in the replies.’ An spokesman said: ‘The content of the tweet shows a picture of a soldier wearing camouflage and concealment measures, standard for jungle training in Belize. We can see how the tweet may have been misinterpreted, have immediately removed it and apologise for any offence it may have caused.’
Videos on the Army’s Facebook page showed troops from the 1st Battalion Irish Guards wearing camouflage paint on exercise in the jungle of Belize during a river crossing.
A spokesman for the anti-racism campaign group HOPE not hate, said: ‘With hindsight, it should have been obvious this photo and that caption were bound to cause problems.
‘Whoever manages social media at the British Army has egg on their face and should feel rightly embarrassed.
‘As an employer seeking to improve its diversity intake, the Army has got to hold itself to the highest standards. How this passed an internal check is hard to imagine.’
‘What’s wrong with it? It’s called camo’