Businessman Rick Olson said he has learnt his lesson after receiving a “pretty vicious reaction” to a post on social media.

It comes after a government spokesman revealed that the Premier, Michael Dunkley, had urged Mr Olson to remove a post on Facebook and to apologise publicly.

On Tuesday, Mr Olson had published a link to a Wikipedia page titled “Hanged, drawn and quartered” with the accompanying caption “This might be a deterrent for blocking Parliament?”. It was heavily criticised by other social-media users, with some vowing to boycott Mr Olson’s business properties.

“I regret saying and I think I’ve learnt my lesson,” Mr Olson, president of Chops Ltd, told The Royal Gazette. “I won’t be making that mistake again.”

Describing the reaction as “pretty vicious”, he argued there was “certainly no malice or malintent behind it”.

Mr Olson added that his comment was a “yes” or “no” question, and said: “It is just disappointing — the whole scenario. I think it was misunderstood.”

He also voiced concern about how his Bermudian employees could potentially be affected by the backlash.

The post was deleted by the administrator of the group. However, screenshots were reposted elsewhere.

In a post the next day, Mr Olson, whose company operates Red Steakhouse and Bar, Bermuda Bistro at the Beach and the Horseshoe Bay Beach concession, “sincerely apologise to all Bermudians for the insensitive post”.

He added: “I fully understand the social/political precarious situation and now realise my sarcastic personality is not welcome.

“This situation will not reoccur, lesson learnt, and again sorry for my insulting post, it certainly wasn’t intended that way.”

In a statement issued yesterday, a government spokeswoman said: “The Government of Bermuda has zero tolerance for any form of racism, bigotry or discrimination.

“The Premier yesterday reached out to the individual concerned, registered his great displeasure about the post and urged him to remove it and apologise publicly.”

She added that any member of the public “who has a grievance in this regard is encouraged to file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission for a determination on the matter”.

The statement continued: “Part of the commission’s remit is to use its good office to settle any complaints or grievances arising out ‘acts of unlawful discrimination’ and, where warranted, ‘institute prosecutions ...’

“Discrimination, racism and bigotry have no place in our society.”

The statement came after the Progressive Labour Party called on the Government “to declare exactly where it stands when society is confronted with this bigotry”.

The PLP said: “The disclosure on social media by Rick Olson that black Bermudians who protested on December 2 should be ‘hanged, drawn and quartered’ has appalled thousands of Bermudians.

“This blatant form of racial bigotry has no place in Bermuda and we call upon the One Bermuda Alliance government to declare exactly where it stands when society is confronted with this bigotry.”

The statement added: “Olson, as president of Chops Ltd, has the concession, approved by the OBA government, to operate at Bermuda’s most popular public beach, Horseshoe Bay.

“This is the type of individual the OBA government is content to do business with. We are outraged. It is unacceptable and we call on the OBA government to act rather than remain silent as they have been for years, when confronted with the issue of race.”

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