Volkswagen Pulls Controversial Ad After Racism Backlash on Social Media

The 10-second advertisement, posted on Instagram and Twitter, shows a giant white hand pushing a black man away from a new yellow Volkswagen Golf parked on the street. The hand then drags him towards an open door and pushes him into a French cafe. This advertisement has sparked a wave of outrage among Internet users who have noted its racist nature.

While regretting the publication of this advertisement, the automaker has apologized. "Many initiatives within the company and our global workforce promote diversity, integration and prejudice-free cooperation. This makes it all the more annoying that we made this mistake," it specified. And to continue that, given its history, Volkswagen is working to eradicate all forms of racism, xenophobia and discrimination.

In apologizing for the video, the German manufacturer says it understands the outrage and anger of Internet users. It added that "without a doubt, the video is inappropriate and insipid. We will clarify how something like this could have happened, and there will be consequences," it threatened.