Mississippi city faces fierce backlash on Twitter after it renames Martin Luther King Day as 'Great Americans Day'

• e-mail

Biloxi's mayor, Andrew Gilich (above), tweeted on Friday that he considers Monday to be Martin Luther King Day even though his city passed an ordinance years ago renaming it 'Great Americans Day'

A city in Mississippi became the subject of widespread scorn on social media Friday after its municipality declared that Martin Luther King Day would be recognized there as 'Great Americans Day'.

Biloxi, a resort town that lies on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, invited harsh criticism from Twitter users on Friday after it announced that its municipal offices would be closed this coming Monday in observance of 'Great Americans Day'.

The third Monday of January is a federal holiday established to honor the memory of King, the slain 1960s civil rights leader.

Biloxi's post ignited a fierce backlash from critics who accused the predominantly white town of denigrating King.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr waves to the crowd after giving  his 'I have a dream' speech in Washington on August 28, 1963. The third Monday of January is a federal holiday honoring him

'Y'all spelled Martin Luther King wrong,' wrote one Twitter user.

'Delete your account,' another Twitter user wrote to the city of Biloxi.

One Twitter account posted a screenshot of the original tweet and drew a red mark over 'Great Americans Day,' replacing it with Martin Luther King Jr Day. 

'Fixed it for you guys,' the Twitter user wrote. 

Making matters worse, the city failed in its efforts to do damage control.

It deleted the original tweet and then responded to the criticism by claiming that 'Great Americans Day' was mandated by the state of Mississippi.

The 'holiday' however is not mentioned on the state's official website.

When the federal government signed MLK Day into law, a number of states resisted by either renaming the holiday or combining it with another remembrance. Mississippi will mark MLK Day on the same day that it remembers the birth of Civil War general Robert E. Lee (right)

The City of Biloxi's official Twitter feed posted a notice on Friday touting its observance of 'Great Americans Day' with no mention of MLK Day

Mississippi officially celebrates MLK Day concurrently with Robert E. Lee's birthday.

Lee was a famous Civil War general who commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia over 150 years ago.

A member of the Biloxi city council told BuzzFeed that it was the state that came up with the name 'Great Americans Day.'

'That's the state, the state called it Great Americans Day,' said Councilman Felix Gines.

Initially, Biloxi claimed the name for the holiday was mandated by the state, even though it was passed as a city ordinance (above is a screenshot of the official city website listing the day)

'The city of Biloxi celebrates MLK Day.'

A municipal spokesperson said that Biloxi hosts a number of events celebrating MLK Day.

'Biloxi, a city that appreciates and embraces diversity, is a longtime supporter and sponsor of the city's hugely successful MLK celebration,' Creel said.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law which decreed the third Monday in January as MLK Day, a federal holiday.

'Y'all spelled Martin Luther King wrong,' wrote one Twitter user. 'Bless your hearts'

Erick Fernandez took a screengrab of the original tweet and 'fixed it' so that it reflects the federal holiday

'Really, I hope the children of Biloxi enjoy Great Americans Day off, it's the last school holiday until Confederate Memorial Day in April!'

Biloxi faced a torrent of criticism, including from this Twitter user who urged it to 'delete your account'

Biloxi is a resort town that relies on tourism as a key source of revenue for its economy. This Twitter user vows to boycott it

'Sure, Biloxi, let's celebrate MLK's birthday and Robert E. Lee's on the same day and also remember George III's coronation on the Fourth of July,' wrote this Twitter user

Television host John Fugelsang posted this sarcastic comment accusing Biloxi of racism

'Getting racially trolled by a place named Biloxi feels like a spell from Harry Potter,' quipped journalist Lauren Duca

After the criticism, Gilich was quoted in a clarifying tweet saying that he considers Monday to be 'Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day'

The day was first observed in 1986, though not without resistance from some conservative states in the South and West who either renamed it or combined the holiday with another so as to dilute its importance.

'For whatever reason, some couldn't bring themselves to do follow suit, and this notion of 'Great Americans Day,' honoring Robert E. Lee and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came about,' Creel said.

Officials in the city were at a loss to explain why the name 'Great Americans Day' appears on the official Biloxi code of ordinances, yet is not even mentioned on the official state site.

'It filtered down to somehow be called Great Americans Day…in our city code of ordinances,' Creel said.

Another city councilman, Kenny Glavan, said he had never even heard of 'Great Americans Day' and no one could explain why Biloxi's official Twitter account failed to mention MLK Day.

'As far as I'm concerned, we're celebrating Martin Luther King Day,' he told BuzzFeed.

'I've never heard of the city calling it that.'

'My first reaction is it sounds like an error,' he said.

After doing some investigating work, Glavan found that the city did indeed officially pass an ordinance years ago designating the third Monday of January as 'Great Americans Day.'

Now the viral nature of news in the era of social media has generated unwanted negative publicity for a city that relies on tourism as a main source of revenue for its economy.

'The thing that I have found most disheartening is that the city's story on the community wide MLK Day celebration is lost in the brouhaha over Great Americans Day tweet,' Creel said.

Glavan said that the city council would consider amending the ordinance and restoring the holiday's name to its original title.

Biloxi's mayor, Andrew Gilich, agrees.

'As far as I'm concerned, it's called 'Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day',' he is quoted in a tweet posted by the city.