Pak-born actor sacked over anti-Indian tweets
LONDON: A prominent television channel has sacked Pakistani-origin actor Marc Anwar from one of Britain’s most popular soap operas Coronation Street for posting tweets that were “racially offensive” against Indians.
ITV said Anwar, 45, who joined the world’s longest-running TV soap opera in 2014 as a member of the serial’s first Muslim family, would not be returning to the show “with immediate effect”.
Screenshots of tweets by Anwar, who plays Sharif Nazir in the series, were first posted by the Sunday Mirror. They referred to events in Jammu and Kashmir and also called for Pakistani actors to stop working in India.
In a statement, ITV said: “We are deeply shocked by the entirely unacceptable, racially offensive comments made on Twitter by Marc Anwar.
“We have talked to Marc and, as a consequence of his comments, he will not be returning to Coronation Street with immediate effect.”