Miss Malaysia Universe Samantha Katie James has apologised for the remarks posted on her Instagram account in the wake of protests in the United States which has drawn vast criticism.

Social media lit up with anger following the remarks, with the Malaysian-born English actor Golding also condemning her comments in his Instagram stories.

The organisers of the Miss Universe Malaysia contest also slammed the comments as “inappropriate, offensive, unacceptable and hurtful”.

As anger mounted, James posted an apology. “I do hear you, I´m sorry, I know you´re hurting. I´m not in your shoes to fully understand this,” she said.

Responding to her comment that black people “chose to be black”, she added: “Throughout my journey, I have learned that we are more than just this temporary physical body, like an avatar, merely a tiny speck of dust in this vast infinite universe, we tend to overlook that from time to time.

“In our process towards evolution as a human being on earth. We chose our body, our family, our place of birth, our name and our lessons from the path we take tailor-made for us.”