AN AUSTRALIAN journalist has caused outrage on Twitter after making a remark about Irish people living near a beach in Sydney.
Josh Massoud, a sports reporter for 7 News Sydney, tweeted a picture with a link to his Instagram of some damage caused by a storm on Coogee beach.
He captioned the image: ‘Coogee demolished over the weekend and for a pleasant change the Irish aren’t to blame.”
Coogee demolished over the weekend and for a pleasant change the Irish aren't to blame. @ Coogee… https://t.co/c7jUSREZll
— Josh Massoud (@josh_massoud) June 5, 2016
The tweet was posted after Coogee, an area popular with Irish people, was among many beaches along Australia's east coast to be hit by a series of storms.
So far three people are dead and three are missing, including a swimmer at Bondi Beach, following the ferocious weather over the weekend.
The Tweet even appeared briefly on the 7 News Twitter before it was deleted:
It is unclear whether Massoud, who is followed by 15,500 people on Twitter, intended the post as a joke but it caused controversy in the Irish community and attracted a large amount of criticism on Twitter and Instagram.
Many people accused the reporter of being racist:
One user commented: "Nice bit of casual racism there dude. Shame on you."
Another said: "Thankfully us Irish know better than to stoop to your low level of racism. Nice one."
While others demanded an apology:
One offended social media user said: "Pull your head in mate, would u make similar inflammatory comments towards other nations? Ireland will be expecting an apology."
Another asked: "@josh_Massoud are you even going to delete this and apologize for your racist comment?"
Massoud is yet to issue an apology and the offending tweet is still on his account.
Last year former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott sparked controversy with his comments about how the Irish in Australia would celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
After making numerous references to the colour green, drinking Guinness and singing, Abbott's public address was slammed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny for perpetuating what he termed a "staged Irish perception."
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