McDonald's Australia steps in after manager accused of racism

SYDNEY - Fast food giant McDonald's said it fired the manager of two restaurants in rural Australia after a video circulated on social media showing people identified as him and his female partner using racist language in an argument with an Aboriginal person.

McDonald's Australia, a subsidiary of the US-listed company, issued a statement on Sunday (Dec 15) saying it had "taken over the operation of the Mildura and Irymple restaurants, effective immediately, and Robert Vigors has left the system and is no longer involved".

Reuters was not immediately able to contact Vigors for comment.

Mildura is a city 1,016km west of Sydney.

The restaurant company added that it would engage with employees regarding the change of management "to ensure the ongoing operation of the restaurants."

The video was posted on Saturday by Robby Wirramanda, an artist, who told Reuters it was his first confrontation with the couple, his next door neighbours. By Monday evening it had 486,700 views.