Barack Obama's poignant anti-racism tweet becomes most liked ever on Twitter

Barack Obama’s tweet condemning racism in the wake of the violent far-right rally in Charlottesville during which one woman died has become the most liked tweet in history.

The poignant tweet, in which the former US President quoted Nelson Mandela, has been liked more than 2.9 million times on Twitter.

He posted the tweet alongside a picture of himself after his daughter Sasha’s fourth-grade graduation.

It read: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion."

He continued in separate tweets: “People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. – Nelson Mandela.”

Heather Heyer, 32 was killed when a car was driven into counter protesters as anti-fascist demonstrators clashed with the white supremacists at the rally in Charlottesville on Saturday.

Dozens of people were also injured as the car mowed into crowds.

Neo-Nazis and white supremacists were among those who gathered at the rally in Virginia to protest a decision to remove a statue of a Confederate general.

US President Donald Trump has come under fierce criticism for his response to the violence, after he told reporters in New York left-wing activists were also to blame for “charging” at the alt-right.

Mr Trump had originally condemned right-wing activists over the unrest, but said on Tuesday there were “two sides to every story”.

Prime Minister Theresa May is now under pressure from MPs to rescind her invitation for a visit from the US President, with anger growing over his response.

David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, praised the American leaders’ remarks and tweeted: "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa."

Many people on social media have praised Mr Obama for his response on Twitter compared to the current president, with some calling it “beautiful” and “amazing”.

The tweet has now surpassed the number of likes for the previous record holder, which was Ariana Grande’s response to the Manchester bombing.