People in Canada cancelling Taco Bell after employee fired over Black Lives Matter
Taco Bell Canada has been caught up in what can only be described as a PR nightmare these last two weeks; first, the fast-food company was forced to deny contributing to Trump's campaign, and now, Taco Bell is being called out for something even worse.
On June 8, an Ohio restaurant manager claimed he was fired for wearing a Black Lives Matter mask to work.
"I'm not taking it off," Denzel Skinner said in the Facebook live video, in response to a manager asking him to remove the mask. "Girl, I'm not bringing politics in. This is what I'm standing for. How is this considered politics?"
Taco Bell manager firing an employee for supporting BLM :/ #RIPTacoBell pic.twitter.com/pFd6Wn4u2f
— elijah daniel (@elijahdaniel) June 18, 2020
A segment of Skinner's original video quickly went viral, racking up over a million views on Twitter.
The incident may have happened south of the border, but that hasn't prevented dozens of Canadians from taking to social media to show their support for Skinner.
"Yeah, cancel Taco Bell," someone from Calgary wrote. "It's crap. It's always been crap, and apparently it's racist crap. #RIPTacoBell."
"Taco Bell sucked before and sucks more now," a Vancouver resident wrote.
TACO BELL WHY U GOTTA LET ME DOWN LIKE THAT 😭😭😭 #RIPTacoBell
— no, this is patrick (@rickdesmond) June 18, 2020
"How would you fire someone for doing the right thing??" a Toronto resident wrote to Taco Bell. "Have you offered him his job back?? Shame on you!"
"Guys buy from your local Mexican restaurants forget this taco bell nonsense," another one said.
It's as simple as this: If a customer comes into a @tacobell and gets offended by employees wearing this mask or starts an argument. Then they should be asked to leave. "We don't want your business." Stand behind your employees and your apparent support for #BlackLivesMatter!
— Mike Sigsworth 🇨🇦 (@aspnetdev) June 18, 2020
Taco Bell has since voiced its support for the Black Lives Matter movement and has apologized to Skinner.
"We are deeply upset by the incident that took place in Youngstown, OH. Denzel Skinner should never have been put in this position," the statement released on Thursday says.
"We believe the Black Lives Matter movement is a human rights issue and not a political one. We do not tolerate racism or violence against the Black community and we demand inclusivity."
— Taco Bell (@tacobell) June 18, 2020
Taco Bell says that it has been working with Skinner and various franchisees to ensure that change is implemented.
"We know we still have a long way to go and we will make serious, tangible changes," the company said. "We will hold ourselves accountable."
Join the conversation Load comments