EastEnders viewers were left "distressed" by scenes in the soap where Keegan Butcher-Baker was beaten up by a group of Right Wing thugs.
Keegan, played by Zack Morris, ended up in a verbal altercation with Tiffany and newcomer Aaron while in the pub after the pair shared a petition to save the local school’s nativity which had been cancelled.
Aaron believes it is a conspiracy to stomp out Christmas in the UK.
In one scene prior to the argument, Aaron could be heard loudly discussing with Tiffany that he believes Muslims living in Albert Square are to blame.
Keegan hears this at the time and corrects Aaron, but Tiffany sides with the newcomer.
Following the argument in the Queen Vic, Keegan leaves the pub but is followed home by Aaron and his friends who were waiting in the shadows for him.
Keegan threw the first punch when the group began to approach him, but he still ended up being badly beaten.
EastEnders viewers took to social media to share their heartbreak following the incident.
One wrote on Twitter: “Poor keegan always get the worst end of the racism! #EastEnders”.
Another wrote: “Wow I haven't been this angry at this show in a while, poor Keegan #EastEnders,” as a third penned: “Couldn't watch the end of #EastEnders from the second I saw Keegan on his own, I knew what was coming had to leave the room!"
Another viewer added: "I actually found #Eastenders distressing this evening #stampoutracism."
While the scenes were undeniably hard to watch, many EastEnders fans have applauded the BBC for tackling such a difficult and important topic.
One person wrote: “This racism #EastEnders storyline is such a hard one to watch! Especially seeing Keegan getting attacked tonight! Great to see them tackling this type of storyline tho especially since this is sadly still happening so frequently in the real world!”
A second said: “That was a tough but excellent episode. Hits so close to home for me after living thru TrumpTwat’s messiness. When I see Keegan, I think about my nephew (19) at college.”
A third person echoed similar sentiments. They said: “This storyline is horrific and hard to watch but also so important and so relevant right now. Poor Keegan.”
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