Miss Canada model Nova Stevens has slammed Philippine netizens for making fun of her skin colour ahead of the Miss Universe contest.

Stevens, 27, a professional model and Black Lives Matter activist, will represent Canada at the 69th Miss Universe pageant on 16th May in Florida.

Nova, the first woman of Sudanese origin to compete at Miss Universe, posted comments by Philippine netizens on a photo of the model posing side-on.

The comments include translated racial slurs including “she is toasted and burned” and “burnt chicken” as well as ‘n words’.

The Miss Universe Canada 2020 beauty queen accompanied the image with the message: “With all that has been going on in the world, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘Asians are human’, you would think this would bring us together. Instead, looks like some people are still stuck in their ignorant and racist ideologies.

“I’m really disappointed with some pageant fans from certain countries. Your hate takes away the fun and enjoyment from this once in a lifetime experience.”

She added: “Is it really that difficult to spread love instead of hate?

“No one is saying you HAVE to support all contestants, all we’re saying is that you support your delegate without bringing others down.

“You don’t need to dim someone’s light in order for you to shine.”

In a follow-up post later the same day, the Canadian model changed her tone and shared some positive comments from Philippine fans.

She wrote: “To my Filipino fans: I’m sorry if my previous post caused you any harm. My post wasn’t intended to incite more hate; rather shed light on the toxicity that sometimes hails from fans (from all over the world).

“Some of my closest friends who also happen to be some of the nicest people I know are Filipino. In every group of people; whether black, white, green, yellow, red, purple, there are always a few bad apples.

“I know for a fact there is more good than evil in this world; Which is why it’s important to shed light on the darkness so that our collective light can illuminate the world.

“Let’s get back to spreading love, celebration and making pageants fun for all!”

Miss Universe 2020 will take place on 16th May in Florida, and the Philippines will be represented by model Rabiya Mateo, 24.