A Newcastle Business School graduate has issued an apology after a video showing him making racist comments to an Asian family went viral on social media.
In the clip, which was put on Instagram and later shared by thousands of people, Michael Lofthouse was seen racially abusing a family at Bernardus Lodge and Spa’s Lucia Restaurant & Bar in Carmel Valley in Monterey County, California.
The video was uploaded by Jordan Chan, who was celebrating a birthday at the restaurant on July 4.
Mr Lofthouse, CEO of Solid8, an IT company based in San Francisco, launched a racist rant at them and the aftermath was captured on video by Jordan.
WARNING: Video contains upsetting racist language and swearing
She said he started yelling "disgusting" things at them like “F*** you Asians”, “Go back to whatever f****** Asian country you’re from”, and “You don’t belong here”.
Mr Lofthouse was also heard saying "Trump's gonna f*** you." A waitress then stepped in and asked Mr Lofthouse to leave.
The incident has since been reported by a number of news platforms in the US.
According to his now-deleted LinkedIn page, Mr Lofthouse graduated from Newcastle Business School, associated with Northumbria University, in 2005 and emigrated to America in 2010.
He has now apologised for his behaviour and in a statement to KSBW in America, he said: “My behaviour in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments.
“I would like to deeply apologise to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel.
"I was taught to respect people of all races, and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day."
