Marc Anwar, a Pakistani actor on Coronation Street, one of Britain's most popular soap operas, has been fired for posting a series of tweets condemning India and Indian citizens in incendiary language.
The Greater Manchester Police said they were investigating the incident after receiving reports of a hate crime, The Guardian reported. (The show is filmed in the Manchester area, where Anwar is based.)
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The actor posted the tweets on Friday after news reports of fighting between Indian forces and protesters in the Kashmir region. Protests over India's presence in the disputed region, which both India and Pakistan claim, have grown in recent months.
Anwar, who was born in Pakistan, used bawdy slurs and swear words to denigrate Indians and India in his tweets, and in one asked why Pakistani artists would want to leave the country to work in India.
The Daily Mirror reported on the Twitter activity over the weekend, publishing an article that included blurred screen shots of Anwar's social media account: "#indians killing our #Kashmir brothers and sisters," one post read, in part.
Late Sunday the actor apologised in a video posted to his YouTube account in which he said he had been angered by news reports of the events in Kashmir.
"In a moment of madness, I ranted out; I vented my anger," he said, adding: "The language that I used I sincerely apologise for."
He also apologised on his Twitter account, from which the posts appear to have been deleted.
I apologise for any offence my recent tweets caused. The comments were my own personal views on a matter I feel passionately about.
— Marc Anwar (@MarcAnwar) September 24, 2016
I never meant to offend anyone, race, religion. #KashmirKillings makes me sad. Once again I apologise unreservedly.
— Marc Anwar (@MarcAnwar) September 24, 2016
The hugely popular Coronation Street follows the residents of a working-class Northern English city as they go about their daily lives. Anwar has played a character named Sharif Nazir on the show since 2014.
A spokeswoman for Coronation Street confirmed Anwar's departure in an email and sent a statement expressing shock at the "unacceptable, racially offensive comments" made by the actor. The email said that the show would be edited to minimise Anwar's role in coming episodes, but that there were some scenes from which he could not be edited out.
Anwar did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. But he has since posted to his Twitter account that the apology was in regret over the offence caused to his "Indian bothers and sisters" not because he was fired.
For the record, #marcanwar was to leave show,end of contract in November, apology is from regret, for offending not at early exit. Love all
— Marc Anwar (@MarcAnwar) September 26, 2016
No human controls my livelihood but My Allah. Never have never will grovel to anyone! Proud Muslim, proud Pakistani, very proud British.
— Marc Anwar (@MarcAnwar) September 26, 2016
New York Times, with Aja Styles