Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Netflix apologises after ‘unacceptable’ Bloody Sunday tweet

Gavin Leatherwood, Kiernan Shipka, and Chance Perdomo in ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' (COURTESY OF NETFLIX)
Gavin Leatherwood, Kiernan Shipka, and Chance Perdomo in ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' (COURTESY OF NETFLIX)

Netflix has apologised after publishing an “unacceptable” tweet containing a Bloody Sunday reference.

The message, which has now been deleted, appeared on the streaming platform’s verified account for its show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

It consisted in a collage of images of the cast wearing fake blood during production, along with the caption: “sunday bloody sunday”.

The tweet was met with a backlash. Several Twitter users sought to remind the platform that Bloody Sunday 1972 massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland, during which British soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians, leaving 14 people dead.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” is also the title of a 1983 song by U2, which references the 1972 massacre as well as the horror of the Troubles.

“About your recent ‘bloody sunday’ post.... Ya... Maybe reconsider, do some research, and do better? Shocking really. Lost quite a bit of respect for you there,” one Twitter user wrote in reference to the post.

A spokesperson for Netflix told Deadline in a statement: “Our tweet was unacceptable and has since been removed. We are very sorry for the hurt and distress it caused.”

The Independent has contacted Netflix for further comment.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, based on the Archie comic book series of the same name, first aired on Netflix in October 2018. It concluded on 31 December 2020 after two seasons, each released in two parts.

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