Bryan Adams apologises for 'racist' rant about Chinese markets

Bryan Adams is apologising for a comment he made about Chinese wet markets that many thought to be racist in nature.

The Canadian singer took to Instagram shortly after receiving backlash for allegedly spewing "racist" comments about the COVID-19 pandemic in a previous post. He wrote his "apologies to any and all that took offense." He admitted that there is no excuse for what he said and explained that he just wanted to rant about animal cruelty and encourage people to go vegan.

"No excuse, I just wanted to have a rant about the horrible animal cruelty in these wet-markets being the possible source of the virus, and promote veganism," Adams said, adding, "I have love for all people and my thoughts are with everyone dealing with this pandemic around the world."

The 60-year-old "Please Forgive Me" singer added the hashtags #bryanadamsintothefire, #songsfromisolation, #covid19, #banwetmarkets, and #govegan to his post. He also included a video of himself singing "Cuts Like A Knife," which he was supposed to perform at London's Royal Albert Hall on Monday had the COVID-19 pandemic not happened.

In his previous post, Adams lamented over the cancellation of "a tenancy of gigs" at Royal Albert Hall amid the pandemic. He then aimed his frustration at the Chinese wet markets in Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus reportedly originated.

"But thanks to some f***ing bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards, the whole world is now on hold, not to mention the thousands that have suffered or died from this virus. My message to them other than 'thanks a f***ing lot' is go vegan," he wrote.

Adams also wished his friends, fans, and family safety amid the pandemic. He expressed his sadness that he could not be there to perform for them live. As a consolation, he promised to perform snippets of the songs he and his band were supposed to perform for the next few days.

"To all the people missing out on our shows, I wish I could be there more than you know. It's been great hanging out in isolation with my children and family, but I miss my other family, my band, my crew, and my fans. Take care of yourselves and hope we can get the show on the road again soon," he concluded.

Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, considered Adams' Coronavirus rant as a show of "racist hatred against Chinese." She thought it was "irresponsible" of him as a public figure.