Utah governor condemns viral video of teens wearing blackface in a Walmart

A viral TikTok clip showing teens unapologetically dressed in blackface has sent shockwaves across the platform.

The footage was captured at a Utah Walmart, which featured several young people in "cops and robbers" fancy dress for Halloween.

While the problematic image of the group initially sparked fury, it was the laughs and ignorant responses that raised serious concerns.

The person recording the group asked whether they understood the consequences of what they were doing. She added: You guys are never going to get into a college, you guys are not going to get any scholarships because this is a hate crime."

A second person behind the camera can be heard asking the customers to leave the store.

One of the teens responds by saying, "We all dropped out of high school. It's OK," prompting some of his friends to laugh.

One TikTok viewer slammed the teens and their outfit choices as "ridiculous and disgusting," before adding: "Something needs to be done. They need to be held accountable. This is not OK."

Another suggested, "Their parents should be held responsible as well! Absolutely DISGUSTING!"

Meanwhile, one praised the cameraperson, saying: "Some places, there isn't enough of the right people around to make them understand the wrong they're doing."

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TikTok Video Showing Teenagers Wearing Blackface in Cedar City Walmart Sparks Controversywww.youtube.com

Utah officials including governor Spencer Cox has since chimed in.

He said: "We strongly condemn racism in all its forms and we call on every Utahn to reject such offensive stereotypes, slurs and attitudes, we must do better."

The Cedar City Police made a statement on social media, disclaiming that "police officers were not aware of the incident taking place at the time and were not called to the scene".

However, the "Cedar City Police Department and Cedar City officials do not condone this type of activity."

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