The manager of an Apple store in Australia has apologized to 4 black students who were kicked out of the store because they fit the profile of thieves.
The incident was caught on video, and quickly reached viral status.
An employee confronted the four clean-cut young men as they strolled into the store wearing their school uniforms.
The employee told the teenagers — who range in age from age 15 to 16 – to leave the store because the store has had problems with other students stealing in the past.
The manager later apologized to the students and the school principal. “Inclusion and diversity are among Apple’s core values,” Apple said in a statement. “We believe in equality for everyone, regardless of race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.”
Francis Ose, the student who uploaded the video to YouTube, says Apple apologized because the embarrassing incident went viral online.
“They apologized, so we’re chilling, no need to take it further,” he wrote.
Apple employees on Facebook.com defended the manager, saying the incident was not due to racism, and they say observerss who scream racism are misguided. They point out that stores right here in the U.S. limit students from entering the store in groups due to problems with stealing.
