[reece(:]

The latest instalment of EastEnders has drawn criticism from viewers following a 'racist' comment by character Kat Slater.

Kat, played by Jessie Wallace, mocked newcomer Habiba Ahmed's name, as she asked 'where's Haribo?' - before being sternly corrected by her sister Iqra.

The comment left fans of the show outraged as they deemed the scene 'blatant racism' - with others branding it 'distasteful.'

Following the scene, viewers rushed to Twitter with their thoughts:

'Absolutely disgusted that #EastEnders scriptwriters thought it necessary to use blatant racism against the character Habiba by having one of the Slater family refer to her as "Haribo". Honestly - in this day and age?'

'Did kat slater just say haribo instead of habiba @eastenders ethnic minorities have been dealing with this subtle racism for decades. How distasteful.'

'Lowkey racist Kat but okkkkkkk #Eastenders.'

'I see #eastenders is trending. Not surprised at the racist outrage. Awful show. All the soaps are depressing as *****. Stopped watching them ages ago...'

#EastEnders well kat calling her haribo is going to get some complaints to ofcom.'

The situation caused passionate divide from viewers, with others stating that 'calling someone a pack of sweets isn't racist':

To all those complaining about Kat Slater using a "racist" term on last nights #eastenders calling Habiba Haribo instead of her actual name I just want to point out one thing...KAT SLATER IS NOT A REAL PERSON! Jesus Christ! Can you catch a *******ing grip of yourselves!'

'#Eastenders is a fictional show w/ characters not an actual place! It isn't a big brother-esque reality show! Writers intentionally put in controversial storie so as 2 inform, educate or entertain the public. So even if this was racist, it is the writers simply doing their job!'

Calling someone after a pack of sweets isn't exactly racist. It's simply name calling.'

'I can see why people see Kat calling Habiba 'Haribo' racist and what not, but as a character, Kat has called her rivals names for YEARS, Roxy was 'Peroxide' and Sharon 'Menopausal Barbie'....... So I literally don't see it as racist at all Just Kat being Kat really #EastEnders.'

Sisters Iqra and Habiba, played by Priya Davdra and Rukku Nahar, are already causing huge drama after arriving to Albert Square in the New Year.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...uebkncJW56QKfo

I knew this was coming