A university student was horrified after a Tinder match sent her a racist message calling her 'fit' and 'George Floyd'.

Liv Yeneka, a fourth year law student at the University of Edinburgh, was racially abused while using the dating app.

She matched with a fellow student who made the reference to the African American man was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis.

A white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on George Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds before he died, writes EdinburghLive.

Speaking to The Tab, Ms Yeneka called the messages "horrific".

After super-liking her on the app, a male Veterinary Science student sent her three messages saying "George Floyd", "Fit" and then hours later, "I'm actually so sorry that's awful behaviour I absolutely sorry".

Ms Yeneka responded: “Don’t worry I’m sure the vet department will love to see this. It’s not just awful behaviour, it’s racist behaviour.”

The male student then blocked her on Tinder.

She said: “It’s pretty horrific. He super-liked me just to match me and tell me my profile was ‘George Floyd fit’, as if being racist wasn’t already grossly offensive, it’s really twisted referring to a dead black man who deserves respect.

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"He probably thought it was hilarious. As for the apology, I don’t know why he bothered. It reads as it looks – meaningless – with the concern of being caught out.”

She added that being a BAME person on a dating app is "exhausting".

Speaking about the message she received, Ms Yeneka said: “Considering the dating world is predominately online right now, we don’t get the same experience as white people."

“As a black woman, I constantly worry about what my matches are thinking. Did they match me because they’ve ‘never been with a black girl’? Could I open Tinder and be stunned with an overtly racist message? Could they be racially abusive in real life and I just don’t know it yet?

“Although dating through a screen has an element of desensitisation, people forget that BAME people are humans, with their own feelings and sadly for some of us, our own racial trauma. The world has taught us to date with our guard up.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh University told the Tab: “The University is committed to promoting a positive culture which celebrates difference, challenges prejudice and ensures fairness. Our Code of Student Conduct sets out clear expectations of behaviour. The University regards any incident of discrimination as a serious matter and will respond promptly to formal complaints, and where appropriate take disciplinary action.”

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