Channel 4 News said it “regrets” any offence caused by presenter Jon Snow after the veteran journalist said he had “never seen so many white people in one place” during a live broadcast besides Friday’s Brexit protests.
Snow, 71, was signing off from the evening bulletin following another significant day in British politics when he made the comment, described by Channel 4 as an “unscripted observation”.
It came as protesters brought Westminster to a standstill on what was supposed to be the day the UK exited the European Union.
With anti-Brexit campaigners in the background, Snow said: “It’s been the most extraordinary day. A day which has seen … I have never seen so many white people in one place, it’s an extraordinary story.
“There are people everywhere, there are crowds everywhere.”
The remarks drew criticism online from some viewers who described Snow’s comments about “white people” as unnecessary.
In a statement, Channel 4 said: “This was an unscripted observation at the very end of a long week of fast-moving Brexit developments.
“Jon has covered major events such as this over a long career and this was a spontaneous comment reflecting his observation that in a London demonstration of that size, ethnic minorities seemed to be significantly under-represented.
“We regret any offence caused by his comment.”
Snow was at the heart of a row in 2017 amid claims he was heard chanting “fuck the Tories” at Glastonbury Festival.
He later said he had “no recollection” of shouting the phrase.
A spokesman for the regulator Ofcom said they would have to wait until Monday to say how many complaints – if any – had been registered regarding Friday’s incident.
A spokesman said: “We will assess any complaints we do receive before deciding whether or not to investigate.”