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Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

‘Racist’ joke sends Jetstar brand into tailspin

Jetstar…  removed “racist” joke on social media.
By aviation writer Scott Mayman
Jetstar has gone out of its way to apologise – almost individually – after removing a “racist” joke on social media.

The post was made a few days ago, mocking the currency of Vietnam, the dong.

The post was removed shortly afterwards but was seen by many of Jetstar’s near 800,000 Facebook followers.

It has since been widely shared on social media and other Jetstar Facebook posts have now been flooded with complaints.

The Vietnamese community makes up what appears to be the bulk of angry comments.

One person wrote: “No more Vietnamese will fly with Jetstar. Racial hatred.”

Another post demanded an apology: “You must publish an official apology for the post you made about Vietnam.”

A person wrote in a seperate post “(You) shaded a whole nation with your post. Say sorry.”

Another follow up comment: “A tone deaf joke. Just a reminder — racial hatred is illegal in Australia. Just because you delete the post doesn’t mean it’s OK.”

Jetstar has issued individual apologies to many of its Facebook followers, saying: “We agree the post was inappropriate and as a result it has been removed. We’re really sorry for any offence caused.

“Please be assured that this incident was in no way related to Vietnamese nationality or race.

‘You have my absolute assurance that Jetstar will not tolerate discrimination on ethnicity, race or any other unlawful grounds.”

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

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