A restaurant in western Sydney that is no stranger to controversy has once again divided opinion.
Penrith's Downtown Brooklyn has been forced to apologise after uploading a post the day after Australia Day (January 27) that took aim at the campaign to change the date.
Campaigners have been working to move Australia Day to another date on the calendar so that it doesn't mark the arrival of the First Fleet.
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While the mission has been growing in popularity over the years, the American-style restaurant Downtown Brooklyn isn't a fan.
While promoting its Fairy Bread burger, the restaurant's Facebook page posted: "3 great things about today...364 more sleeps til we have to listen to the Invasion Day bandwagoners again!"
The post was wildly criticised and labeled backwards and racist for alienating a large group of people.
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Among the people who voiced their outrage was former Labor MP Emma Husar, who slammed the restaurant's attitude 'towards your own community that you profit from'.
"Well, this level of racism is disappointing [and] also stupid," she said. "Western Sydney is home to the largest numbers of First Nations people in a metro setting."
After suffering days of online vitriol, Downtown Brooklyn's owner has made an apology.
Good Evening Everyone,� To introduce myself, my name is Chris O'Shea and I am the owner of Downtown Brooklyn. As you...
Chris O'Shea explained how he initially signed off on the post, however in light of the backlash, he realised the status 'pushed the boundaries a bit too far'.
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He criticised 'influencers' for using Australia Day as a way of jumping on a 'bandwagon' and use the day to 'support an issue for the likes or clout, then move on to the next one, forgetting about the true cause'.
O'Shea admits the true nature of the initial post was 'misconstrued as being racist'.
"The post was never meant to be racist in anyway shape or form. Now that we look back at it, maybe we have become the very thing that we set out to post about in an insensitive," he said.
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"The damage is done, there is no coming back from this and as the owner I have accepted this.
"I have personally spoken to many of you through our Inbox explaining the above and have apologised in regards to anything taken the wrong way or being insensitive with the comments made by our Socials.
"To the entire Indigenous community that has been offended in regards, please take this as my sincerest apologies as to how the post was construed. I will cop the hate, cop the flack, and cop the damages that will still continue as most will say this is back pedalling. This was never meant to be a hateful or racist post."
The restaurant started selling a Donald Trump-themed burger that was seasoned with 'liberal tears' just before the US election in November last year.
Featured Image Credit: InstagramTopics: Australia