British Army Apologizes After Soldier Appears in ‘Blackface’ Paint On Twitter

The British Army apologized after outrage from a photo showing a soldier in what looks like blackface. The original tweet, posted early Wednesday morning, depicted a male soldier holding a gun with the caption “Being a soldier in the jungle requires a robust sense of humour.”

The tweet, which was quickly deleted, was described as “stupid” and “racist” by outraged Twitter users, while anti-racism campaign group HOPE told the Telegraph the army should feel embarrassed.

After removing the tweet, the army posted a full apology online, saying they could see how the tweet "may have been misinterpreted." They explained the face paint was in fact camouflage and part of jungle training in Belize.

It is the latest in a series of blackface controversies in recent months. In honor of 4/20 (a so-called "celebration of marijuana"), Snapchat introduced a ‘Bob Marley’ Snapchat filter that was criticized by users for giving the effect of a blatant “digital blackface.” Last Halloween, country singer Jason Aldean was called out for wearing blackface as rapper Lil Wayne.