Businesswoman apologises after urging people to dress up as the Ku Klux Klan and ‘stand our ground’ during Black Lives Matter protests
- Wendy Rowland posted on Facebook encouraging people to dress up as the KKK
- Rowland, who owns Amore Pizza mobile pizza van, claimed to have been hacked
- She eventually admitted to posting the messages prompting calls to boycott her business
- Inspector Jon Aspinall said that North Wales Police were investigating the posts
A businesswoman from North Wales has apologised after using social media to encourage people to dress up as the Ku Klux Klan for a Black Lives Matter protest.
Ahead of a Black Lives Matter protest in Caernarfon, Wales, Wendy Rowland posted vile messages on Facebook urging people to wear KKK outfits.
In the post, Mrs Rowland, who runs the Amore Pizza mobile pizza van, said: ‘Come on. Let’s do it. Let’s dress as Ku Klux Klan. Who’s joining us. Let’s stand our ground!’
She also encouraged people from her home county of Cheshire to travel to Caernarfon and help defend its history.
The comments came during an argument online where Mrs Rowland said that a pub in the town, The Black Boy, should keep its name.
Wendy Rowland, who runs the Amore Pizza mobile pizza van, posted messages on Facebook encouraging people to dress as the KKK ahead of a Black Lives Matter protest in Caernarfon
Initially Mrs Rowland claimed that hackers had posted the vile comments but she later admitted that she had in fact posted the messages
After receiving backlash, Mrs Rowland claimed that her account had been hacked by someone else who had posted the messages.
After it was pointed out to her that her accounts had continued to advertise her pizza business while the alleged hackers had been posting, Rowland admitted she had been responsible for the posts.
NorthWalesLive reports that she said: ‘What I said has been completely blown out of proportion.
‘I didn’t realise social media was such a dangerous thing. People are out of order, it was just a bit of banter, it was nothing serious – I was just joking.’
Mrs Rowland said that she plans to attend a future Black Lives Matter protest to better educate herself on the topic. Pictured: Caernarfon Black Lives Matter protest on June 14
Mrs Rowland made the comments about dressing as the KKK while arguing that the name of a Caernarfon pub (pictured in 2017) should stay as, Black Boy
Mrs Rowland explained that she had seen the protests in London and wanted to protect Caernarfon from being destroyed.
She has since deleted the posts and her business page and said she plans on attending a Black Lives Matter protest to educate herself.
Apologising, Mrs Rowland added that she thought the KKK were just people who dressed up.
Arfon MP Hywel Williams, who formerly represented Caernarfon, said: ‘I am aware that some unpleasant and ill-judged comments appeared on social media in relation to recent Black Lives Matter protests held in Caernarfon.
‘These comments in no way reflect the overwhelming tolerance and diversity which enriches our communities here in Arfon.’
Inspector Jon Aspinall said that North Wales Police were investigating the posts and that they take these matters seriously.