Outrage as Icelandair apologizes for 'apartheid' cocktail after calling it 'scrumptuous'
By RYAN GORMAN
Icelandair has apparently been selling a racist cocktail in a hotel bar in Reykjavik.
Airline officials are scrambling to dodge a public relations nightmare after an infuriated customer at the Slippbarinn, in the Hotel Reykjavik Marina, noticed the disturbing drink during a recent visit to the island.
A Tweet from @AfricasaCountry showed the cocktail on the menu at the popular waterfront bar, which is in the lobby of a hotel owned by Icelandair.
"Simply scrumptious, enjoy! Happy Holidays," the airline replied in a tweet, despite a sea of anger prior to the oblivious reply.
"Did this just happen?" Asked several outraged followers.
"Are you also planning slavery punch or Nazi shots? This is very offensive. Apartheid is crime against humanity," another person fired back.
The original poster brought the definition of the term apartheid to the airline's attention and it immediately apologized.
The airline explained the hotel did not know what the word meant but that it was working to remove it from all menus and marketing materials.
"I was an 11 year old American middle class girl and I knew what apartheid was," replied another person.
"Can you find out what your team member thought it meant? It's a very specific term," said the original poster.
"She thought the word just meant separation and did not understand the connotation and historical significance," replied the airline.
Most people reading the explanation called it a lie, one even called the tweet "shenanigans."
Apartheid was an institutionalized policy of racism spanning decades in South Africa. Blacks were brutally tortured, enslaved and murdered from 1948 until 1994.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela was jailed for nearly 30 years for protesting against the apartheid regime. He was released in 1990.
AOL News was not immediately able to reach an airline representative for further comment.
