DUBAI: KFC in Germany sparked a storm of protest after sending a notification to users of its app encouraging them to commemorate Kristallnacht on its anniversary by treating themselves to crispy chicken with extra cheese.
Kristallnacht is the name for the events in Germany on Nov. 9, 1938, when the Nazis targeted the Jewish population with a campaign of hate during which an estimated 91 people were killed, 30,000 arrested and 267 synagogues were destroyed.
It became known as Kristallnacht (which translates as the night of the broken glass), because of the broken glass that covered streets in its aftermath.
KFC’s bosses in Germany apparently were unaware of the meaning or significance of the occasion when they sent out their the notification, prompting users of the app to take to Twitter to express their outrage.
KFC quickly apologized and blamed the tasteless incident on an error in its system. It said that it would check its internal processes so that such a mistake does not happen again.
This failed to satisfy everyone, with some suggesting that the insulting message was more likely to have been the result of human error, rather than a system error as KFC claimed.
