Northumbria Police are treating a video in which a man is filmed making racial slurs as a hate crime.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the clip which circulated on social media on Monday featuring a man and woman.
The video features a number of slurs against the BAME community before the man tells the camera that he is "rich, white and privileged and tanned...and (has) got good teeth".
The footage was posted days after thousands of people took part in Black Lives Matter protests across the UK.
The account from which the video was posted has since been deleted.
A Northumbria Police statement said: "We can confirm we are investigating an offensive video that was shared on social media.
"The type of language used in the video is completely unacceptable and we are treating this as a hate crime."
One of the individuals in the footage is understood to study at Northumbria University.
In a statement released on Monday, a university spokesperson said: "We have been made aware of posts shared on social media this evening involving someone who is alleged to be one of our students.
"We have reported the incident to the police and are taking our own internal investigation. We will take appropriate action, in line with our policies."
The statement said it did "not condone" the language used, adding: "We do not tolerate any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination."
The man, who works as a gym instructor, is understood to have had his employment terminated.
