Wave of racist comments protest use of black model in ad. (Yes, really.) Czech rights minister has a good response… https://t.co/tkMj3lWucr pic.twitter.com/bLltgW37ep
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) January 5, 2017
Expression
In January 2017, German supermarket chain Lidl used a Senegalese male model's picture on their promotional leaflets in the Czech Republic. The leaflets generated both racist comments and hate mail as well as letters of support to the company and on its social media accounts. The country is largely homogeneous in terms of race and a recent influx of immigrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa has caused some tensions within Czech society.
The company responded to the racist remarks, stating:
“We are in Europe in the 21st century, where there are different races. And because Lidl can also be found throughout Europe, we see differences. The more you know how the world is, the more tolerance towards others you have. This is why our models are from all corners of the world".