A cruise line has issued an apology after a public backlash over an “inappropriate” deck parade.
P&O Cruises Australia responded after video footage of crew members sporting pointed white hoods was in comparison with members of the Ku Klux Klan.
It occurred throughout a Christmas cruise from Melbourne to Tasmania final month. Crew members had been dressed as snow cones for a household Christmas occasion together with a Santa Claus. The crew’s all-white outfits included the inverted present cones over their head with eye holes that resembled the infamous hoods utilized by the KKK.
It could possibly be argued {that a} majority of crew members on cruise ships are from Southeast Asia and are usually not accustomed to American historical past or that what they had been doing was offensive.
Reddit person Hon3y_Badger famous, “KKK is a really American factor. The headpiece is often known as a capirote and is utilized in Catholic ceremonies. The workers is usually from Catholic Asian nations; I think about they see this generally utilized in non racist or violent environments and determined to have enjoyable & with none of that information the bags it carries for a lot of.”
P&O Cruises Australia Receives Backlash
Footage of the occasion was shared on Fb by a visitor and was picked up by Australian media this week. In line with 7NEWS Australia, a visitor filed a criticism with the cruise line however didn’t get a reply. The information channel says P&O Cruises Australia solely responded after the video was aired.
“We sincerely apologize for any offense this induced passengers. They had been solely in public view for a short while earlier than administration acted shortly and had them take away the costumes,” a P&O Cruises Australia spokesperson stated.
“The crew members had been horrified and very apologetic once they realized of the misery their outfits might trigger. Workers have been recommended round this incident and we’ll guarantee this doesn’t occur once more.”
Chatting with 7News, cruise line spokesperson Lynne Scrivens stated it was an unlucky selection of costume and an harmless mistake. “It was a tug-of-war occasion the place the crew costume up, and our housekeeping crew determined to decorate up as snow cones.”
As younger, largely international nationals from totally different cultures, the crew had “no thought” their costumes could possibly be considered as offensive or what they might symbolize, Scrivens added.
P&O Cruises Australia is ready to shut down and will probably be built-in into sister model Carnival Cruise Line in March 2025.
