KFC Germany has apologized over what it said was a mistakenly sent notification inviting customers to “treat themselves” to KFC on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, when Jewish homes and businesses in Germany were looted leading up to World War II and the Holocaust, according to The Jerusalem Post.
KFC provided a statement to Entrepreneur via email. It was “obviously wrong, insensitive, and unacceptable, and for this, we sincerely apologize,” the company said.
The notification was sent to KFC app users in Germany. It said, per the Post, “Commemoration of the Reichspogromnacht – Treat yourself to more tender cheese with the crispy chicken. Now at KFCheese!”
Reichspogromnacht is the German name for Kristallnacht.
Kristallnacht occurred on November 9 and 10, 1938, as part of an ongoing campaign in Nazi Germany to discriminate and commit violence against Jewish people in the country. Hitler’s paramilitary group, the SAs, used the pretext of the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath to organize mass violence, which included breaking windows in Jewish homes in businesses — hence, the name Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass.” As many as 1,400 synagogues were destroyed and hundreds of thousands were sent to concentration camps.
New photos of the November nights were donated to Israel‘s Holocaust museum Yad Vashem on Wednesday, per the Associated Press.
Users took to social media to express outrage about KFC’s notification, including Dalia Grinfeld of European Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, a group that fights antisemitism.
Wie daneben kann man eigentlich sein an #Reichspogromnacht, @KFCDeutschland (@kfc )?! Schämt euch! https://t.co/nJvE15Nn0X
— Dalia Grinfeld (@DaliaGrinfeld) November 9, 2022
Per a Google translation of the Tweet, the user wrote, “How wrong can you actually be at #Reichspogromnacht… Shame on you!”
Other users posted the notification as well:
Wow, just wow! I am utterly speechless and repulsed! @kfc Germany puts out promotional campaign inviting customers to treat themselves on #Kristallnacht … with some “crispy chicken with tender cheese.”
You can’t make this up! pic.twitter.com/dvKTUvo3wv
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) November 9, 2022
The company said the notification happened because of an automatic holiday event schedule.
KFC uses “a semi-automated content creation process linked to calendars that include national observances. In this instance, our internal review process was not properly followed, resulting in a non-approved notification being shared,” it wrote.
The company further said it was stopping all communications on the app. “We understand and respect the gravity and history of this day, and remain committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging for all,” its statement said.
The notification error comes amid a public rise in antisemitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there has been a 34% increase in instances of anti-semitic violence in the U.S. in 2021 compared to 2020.
Rapper and designer Kanye West, now known as Ye, was dropped from several brands, including Adidas, after unprofessional behavior and comments about violence against Jewish people. Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is currently serving a five-game suspension for sharing, then deleting, an antisemitic documentary on social media. Nike’s co-founder told CNBC that Irving’s deal with the athletic company is “likely over.”
