A sportswear company has told customers who complained about an advert featuring a black bodybuilder they can have a refund – if they email an address which reads: "I am racist."

Hundreds of people sent hatemail to Slovakian firm Nebbia after it published the advert on its Facebook page, with commenters calling the bodybuilder "a murderer" and "an ape in sportswear".

Despite admitting it would cost "time, stress, fear and maybe even money", Nebbia offered refunds to customers who said they would not buy again from a company that promoted multiculturalism.

In a statement, Nebbia chief executive Martin Peck said his firm doesn't want "people who feel racial hatred to wear our clothes".

He said: "Nebbia is a global brand which uses sportspeople of colour for marketing purposes.


"I thought that racism did not exist in a developed society like ours; unfortunately, we see in hundreds of reactions that it's deeply rooted in people.

"Racism has no place either in sport or anywhere else."

Mr Peck also thanked customers who pledged to buy Nebbia products in an act of solidarity.

A day after Nebbia was inundated with abuse, mobile phone operator o2 offered its support by publishing a post on its Facebook page which read: "We are all equal, and therefore the colour doesn't matter.

"That's what matters, is to speak up when needed."

Last week, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico unveiled a special police unit to fight extremism, warning that a "new wave of fascism" had risen across the country.

It follows an electoral shock last year, when the far-right People's Party Our Slovakia won seats in parliament for the first time.