The British Army has faced accusations of racism following a controversial tweet
Early on Wednesday morning, the official British Army Twitter account sent out what it had assumed would be a light hearted message.
The tweet – which has now been deleted – carried the message, “Being a #soldier in the jungle requires a robust sense of humour”.
Accompanying the message was a photo of a soldier in the jungle with a weapon making a face to the camera.
The soldier’s face was covered completely in dark camouflage cream.
However some observers have pointed out the message might be interpreted as a joke at blacking up, with the face pulled by the soldier to be one of “monkeying around”.
https://twitter.com/rlyuglygrlirl/status/788677612566568960
https://twitter.com/Seyinoir/status/788687417331093504
love this Black History Month initiative from the British Army as part of its drive to increase diversity in its ranks <3 pic.twitter.com/pBnr7AOk75
— Elizabeth Pears (@BizPears) October 19, 2016
Hey @britisharmy: how many centuries of colonialism and still you can't figure out why people can't stand you? pic.twitter.com/ASuHj3mhd8
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) October 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/marcusjdl/status/788677063502884864
https://twitter.com/NerdAboutTown/status/788679610888253440
.@BritishArmy maybe you should put camouflage on this tweet so nobody sees it
— Richard Cook (@cookywook) October 19, 2016
Some were quick to defend the Army’s tweet, saying there was nothing racist with the image, and that wrong with the wearing of camouflage cream in the field and that the image was not racist.
https://twitter.com/bignick47/status/788674703099588608
Seeing racism where there is none. That's the sure sign of a racist. See timeline… https://t.co/1jXpAlkcBs
— State Control™ (@State_Control) October 19, 2016
Although others mentioned that even within fieldwork, the wearing of dark camouflage cream during the daytime is unusual.
https://twitter.com/JosephKay76/status/788684897804292097
The PR gaffe comes at a bad time for the British Army, who are currently being said to be advertising for soldiers from minority backgrounds.
Ethnic minorities make up just seven per cent of the UK Armed Forces – about 10,490 personnel – compared with 12 per cent of the British workforce overall. At officer level, black and ethnic minorities make up just 2.4 per cent of the total workforce
Former defence minister Labour MP Kevan Jones said of the issue: “The armed forces need to reflect modern Britain.
“Without changes in the senior ranks, it will frustrate efforts to recruit more individuals from the ethnic minorities.”
UPDATE: Talking to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for the British army said the image depicted a soldier wearing standard “camouflage and concealment measures,” during a training exercise in the jungle 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,” the spokesperson added.
