Paris Hilton denies confusing Nelson Mandela with Martin Luther King on Twitter

The property heiress lambasted Twitter account @DeletedTweets after they put up a screengrab of what looked like a tweet from the socialite

The property heiress lambasted Twitter account @DeletedTweets after they put up a screengrab of what looked like a tweet from the socialite (Rex Features)

Paris Hilton has gone to great lengths to slam what she calls a “stupid fake tweet”, posted in response to the death of the former South African President, which suggested she didn’t know the difference between Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.

The property heiress lambasted Twitter account @DeletedTweets after they put up a screengrab of what looked like a tweet from the socialite that read: “RIP Nelson Mandela. Your 'I Have a Dream' speech was so inspiring. An amazing man.”

The tweet quickly snowballed, garnering over 15,000 retweets, and by the time Hilton knew of its existence, she was already trending.

“Whoever made that stupid fake tweet lacks respect to the loss the world is mourning right now. Same goes for all the blogs who ran with it,” she tweeted in response.

Shortly before acknowledging the apparent prank, the star paid her (real) respects to Nelson Mandela, who died aged 95 on 5 December.

“Just landed & heard the sad new about Nelson Mandela. He was a true Hero & the world is a better place because of him. May he rest in peace,” she posted.

South African President Jacob Zuma announced the sad news of Mandela’s passing in a moving televised address.

He said: “Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.

World Leaders Pay Tribute To Nelson Mandela

“Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood. Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own, and who saw his cause as their cause.”

Meanwhile, the UK premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom took place in London. Stars of the biopic, Idris Elba and Naomi Harris, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Mandela’s daughter Zindzi, walked the red carpet at the event at the Odeon Leicester Square.

After the closing credits had rolled, the audience were told of the former South African President’s passing. Members of the audience reportedly gasped at the news, while it has been reported that Idris Elba wept in his seat.

He has since paid his own tribute to the politician, saying it was “an honour” to have played the role.

Read 'The Life and Times of Madiba: A Tribute to Nelson Mandela' here.