KFC sorry for sending out Kristallnacht ‘treat’ message

KFC was forced to apologise yesterday after encouraging its German customers to mark the Kristallnacht pogrom of the Jews with a meal of cheesy fried chicken.

The fast food chain told customers in a mobile app notification to “treat themselves” to mark the 84th anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass.

Nazi mobs torched synagogues and looted Jewish-owned businesses on Nov 9 1938, which is widely considered a starting point for the Holocaust.

“Commemoration of Kristallnacht Treat yourself to more soft cheese and crispy chicken. Now at Kfcheese!,” the message read.

An hour later, KFC sent another mobile phone notification apologising for the insensitive gaffe, the Bild newspaper reported.

“We are very sorry, we will check our internal processes immediately so that this does not happen again. Please excuse this error,” the message said.

KFC Germany later blamed an “automated push notification” that was “linked to calendars that include national observances”.

The company said app communications had been suspended until a review of the system took place.

The error was greeted with anger by Jewish groups in Europe. Dalia Grinfeld, the associate director of European affairs at the Anti-defamation League, wrote on Twitter: “How wrong can you get on Kristallnacht KFC Germany. Shame on you!”

The anniversary of Kristallnacht is marked in Germany with memorial events and discussions about the Third Reich’s persecution of the Jews.

The broken glass in the streets from windows smashed in the destruction wrought by SA and SS men led to it being dubbed Kristallnacht.