McDonald's has issued an apology for its Halloween marketing campaign for its dessert in Portugal which used the phrase, "Sundae Bloody Sundae".
The apology was issued by McDonald's after the Sundae Bloody Sundae marketing campaign sparked outrage after people on social media connected the phrase to the Bloody Sunday incident in Northern Ireland.
Bloody Sunday is the term used to refer to an incident that happened in Londonderry, Northern Ireland on a Sunday, January 30, 1972, where 13 people were shot dead by the Army.
According to Mcdonald's, the marketing campaign was not intended to be an "insensitive reference to any historical event". A spokeswoman for McDonald's Portugal said: "We sincerely apologize for any offence or distress this may have caused."
She explained that while the "Bloody" sundae promotions were designed as a Halloween celebration, they have canceled the promotion since the issue emerged. A photo of the advertisement first surfaced on Twitter after an Irish user shared it with a caption "Portugal is cancelled."
This is not the first time the phrase was used by a company for promoting products. In 2013, a bar in London's Covent Garden also apologized for serving a cocktail called "Sundae Bloody Sundae."
The drink was served with a plastic toy soldier, further causing outrage among Irish customers. Campaigner Kate Nash, whose brother William Nash was among the 13 people who died on Bloody Sunday, condemned the cocktail promotion.
However, Nash had a different take on the McDonald's marketing campaign, saying: "I am aware of the McDonald's ad campaign. I have to say, it is not that offensive to me."
She added: "This is in Portugal and highly unlikely that people there have sat down with the intention to offend about the events here in Ireland. Perhaps just in their innocence that they have settled on this slogan, without making any connection to Bloody Sunday."
