Sainsbury’s has issued an apology after a term used by racists online was discovered in an online listing for school trousers.
The trousers feature a reinforced knee and a grow hem, handy features for childrenswear. However when the two details were put side-by-side in the listing’s title, it spelled out a phrase used by racists online.
The listing has been temporarily removed from Sainsbury’s website.
“We’re truly sorry for the upset this has caused,” a spokesperson for the supermarket told the BBC.
“We have listened to the concerns which have been shared and are urgently updating the product labelling,” the spokesperson said.
Social media users pointed out the phrase is used in place of the slur to bypass filters that automatically flag hate speech online.
In 2018, it featured on the jersey of an American youth basketball team, among other sexist and racist terms. The team was banned from the league.
Many online spaces employ moderation filters that are designed to flag slurs and hate speech, but homophones and emojis can dodge the automatic filters.
In 2021, Bukayo Saka was among a number of footballers subject to a torrent of racial abuse on Instagram in which some commenters used emojis.
Instagram’s filters at the time did not pick up on the abuse, an issue which has since been rectified.
The tweet that reported the trousers listing to Sainsbury’s social media team has been viewed more than 750,000 times.
There is no suggestion that Sainsbury’s used the phrase intentionally.