Story highlights
Army said it could see how the image "may have been misinterpreted"
Some social media users joked army would be looking for new media manager
The British Army has apologized and removed a tweet of a soldier wearing black face paint, after it prompted outrage online.
The tweet showed a soldier with his face painted black and holding a gun, along with the caption: “Being a soldier in the jungle requires a robust sense of humour.”
The post sparked a furious response from social media users, with many calling the “blackface” image “racist.”
Others suggested the British Army may soon be looking for a new social media manager.
The army told CNN in a statement that the image was of a soldier “wearing camouflage and concealment measures, standard for jungle training in Belize.”
It added: “We can see how the tweet may have been misinterpreted, have immediately removed it, and apologize for any offense it may have caused.”
After removing the tweet, the army then posted a full apology online.
“There is extensive imagery and video from the Irish Guards’ jungle exercise available on the British Army Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels and we would urge the public to view that imagery to set the activities being undertaken by these soldiers in context,” it said.
CNN’s Alison Daye contributed to this report
