Publicity for decorating Krispy Kreme’s sweet doughnuts turned sour when a store inHull, England, used the abbreviation “KKK” to promote Krispy Kreme Klub Wednesday, to be held this week.
The choice of abbreviation drew comparisons to the U.S. white-supremacist organization the Ku Klux Klan. After it was posted on the company’s United KingdomFacebook page(it’s since been removed), followers made the store aware of this.
“We do believe this was a completely unintentional oversight on the part of our longtime franchise partners in the UK,” Lafeea Watson, Krispy Kreme’s Manager of Public and Media Relations, wrote in an email. “They have taken quick and appropriate actions to remove the materials online and in-shops, and have wholeheartedly apologized to their consumers. They have also assured us that they will be taking greater precautions with their publicity materials in the future.”
Krispy Kreme hull is advertising KKK Wednesday. I don’t know. I do not know. pic.twitter.com/19pXLFxXsw
WARNING: Ed Zitron (@edzitron) February 17, 2015
But the it’s-on-the-other-side-of-the-pond-so-we-didn’t-know excuse only demonstrates further ignorance.
British press have profiled the hate group and families associated with it, even noting that “No Far Right British politician looking to soften his movement’s image would relish being associated” with them.
U.K. supermarket Asda even made headlines last year for the backlash following its release of a wearable English flag that resembled a KKK hood.
Asda also attempted the “It’s not British” approach when faced with the controversy, saying it was simply a way for soccer fans to express national pride during the World Cup and not get rained on.
“We know there’s chatter on Twitter about our wearable World Cup flags, but it’s simply a flag with a hood–nothing more, nothing less,” a company spokeswoman told the U.K.’s Metro publication. “We opted for a hood on our wearable England and Brazilian flags as you never know what the British weather will bring.
“We want customers to get behind the team without getting wet.”
