U.K. bank HSBC has fired 6 of its staff for creating a video showing a mock ISIS-style execution and uploading it on Instagram, drawing furious reactions from Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
The video was filmed during a team building day out for the bank's employees. The video showed a group of staff in black masks holding a clothes hanger like a knife over a kneeling man in an orange jumpsuit. During the video, a man shouts the words, "Allahu Akbar" and makes a derisory battle cry more reminisce of those used by Native American Indian tribes.
"We took the decision to sack the individuals involved. This is an abhorrent video and HSBC would like to apologise for any offence caused," A bank spokesperson said.
The staging mimicks previous gruesome beheading videos released by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, which has executed over 3,000 people in Syria in the year since it declared an Islamic "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq.
ISIS killed a series of international hostages dressed in orange jumpsuits, including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, in videos that caused shock when they were released last year.
HSBC has recently weathered a string of bad publicity, including allegations its Swiss private banking arm helped wealthy clients dodge tax, and fines by regulators for attempting to rig foreign exchange markets.
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