Massive outrage over 'whites-only' party in Sri Lanka at Russian-run nightclub

Massive outrage over a "white only" party forced an organiser in Sri Lanka to apologise. The controversial party, to be held atthe Sarayka Lounge, in the resort town of Unawatuna, reportedly coincided with the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war - February 24.

The party has been deemed racist as its advertisement mentioned a line - "Face control: White". The phrase was believed to suggest that the event was solely open to white people. It was also a white dress code party.

An image of the ad was shared on social media platformswhich left users furious as they interpreted that non-white people would not be allowed in.

The advertisement showed that the party was held last weekend at the Sarayka Lounge in the popular beach town of Unawatuna.

Locals also slammed the event, with one local restaurant owner saying, "I know not all expats are like this... but this sort of thing should be stopped fast and stopped hard."

As per reports, the lounge said they cancelled the party and disavowed any support for racist ideology. In a statement, it said, "We apologise! The party planned for Saturday will not take place. We have urgently cancelled this event."

"Also, we have severed ties with the organisers who planned this party at our venue," it added.

A man who said he was an event organiser, said on Instagram that there was "no malice or racism" in planning the party. The man's handle was geo_ecstatic.

The man said that he received a barrage of abuse and threats and had to leave the country.

"We wanted to meet expats who have been living here for a long time and love Sri Lanka. The team... supported me and a joint decision was made to quickly organise a party," he said.

"I didn't expect this to be such a sensitive moment for a huge number of people. I admit that it was a bad idea... and I understand that we created it ourselves out of our stupidity. I deeply apologise to everyone whose feelings were hurt," he added.

Amid the outrage, authorities in the South Asian country said they were cancelling long-term tourist visa extensions.