RACISM

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Police ordered Ben Smith to remove an England flag from his car, because it could be deemed racist. Ben was pulled over for a routine spot check by an officer who inspected his tyres and road tax but he was told that a St George flag covering his Vauxhall Corsa’s parcel shelf was offensive to immigrants. He initially thought the officer was joking until he was threatened with a £30 fine if he refused to remove it from view.

Tory MP Philip Davies, who campaigns against political correctness, said, “If this is the case then it is disgusting and totally outrageous and the policeman ought to be ashamed of himself. How on earth can it be racist to fly your own flag in your own country? It is this sort of politically-correct thinking that has helped to create the problems we have today. I would like to see the Association of Chief Police Officers make it clear that anyone flying the Union Flag or the flag of St George will not be prosecuted.”

PC Dave Cooper, of Wiltshire Police, could not confirm details of the incident as it had not been logged but he admitted there might be situations where a police officer considered the displaying of a flag as an inflammatory act. He said, “It all depends on the context. If they are going past a lot of Polish people, for instance, and abusing them, then we possibly would ask them to take the flag down.” He said the officer involved in the incident could have been based anywhere in Wiltshire. The fact there was no log of Mr Smith being stopped indicated there was nothing wrong with his car.

Chief Inspector Charlie Dibble, of Wiltshire Police, believed the issue was more likely to be one of road safety. He said, “The officer asked him to remove the flag from his parcel shelf, where he admits it was covering his speakers. Road safety and the ability to have a clear view at all times of what is behind you is of great public importance. Officers are encouraged to take positive action in this regard and this would apply if there was any object obscuring the driver’s view.” (Source: Daily Express, May/08)

Corby, in Northamptonshire, is losing scores of public sector jobs because its residents are "too white and British". The Prison Service is relocating the posts to a nearby city where there are more ethnic minorities. The decision, which could lead to an investigation by the Commission for Racial Equality, was disclosed in a leaked official letter. MPs warned similar moves could secretly be taking place across the country as civil servants are under enormous pressure from ministers to boost the number of ethnic minorities working in the public sector.

The 80 office jobs are being transferred from the depressed former steel town of Corby to Leicester. The Tory General Election candidate for the town, which suffers from deprivation and is in desperate need of jobs, wrote to the Prison Service to demand an explanation. In reply, director of finance Ann Beasley, one of Home Secretary John Reid's top civil servants, said the town had too many white British residents and as a result, it does not satisfy the drive to recruit more ethnic minorities. (Source: Mail on Sunday, Mar/07)

A Christian woman has been banned by British Airways for wearing a small cross necklace to work, while muslims and sikhs are allowed to wear headscarves and turbans. Heathrow check-in worker Nadia Eweida was sent home after refusing to remove the crucifix which breached BA's dress code. BA's chief executive Willie Walsh has upheld the action against Miss Eweida for failing to comply with "uniform regulations" despite himself coming under fire recently for failing to wear a tie. Miss Eweida, who has an unblemished record during seven years at BA, is suing her employer for religious discrimination after being suspended from work without pay for two weeks.

The airline's uniform code states that staff must not wear visible jewellery or other 'adornments' while on duty without permission from management. It makes exceptions for Muslim and Sikh minorities by allowing them to wear hijabs and turbans. Under rules drawn up by BA's 'diversity team' and 'uniform committee', Sikh employees can even wear the traditional iron bangle, even though this would usually be classed as jewellery, while Muslim workers are also allowed prayer breaks during work time. In a letter to Miss Eweida's MP, Vince Cable, BA chief executive Willie Walsh insisted his employee had not yet been disciplined but said she was off work for failing to comply with "uniform regulations".

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, international director of the Christian charity the Barnabas Fund, said, "Discrimination against Christians is commonplace in Muslim-majority contexts, such as Egypt where Nadia's family roots are. Now we see the same thing increasingly happening within the UK. Her Sikh and Muslim colleagues at BA can show their faith publicly in what they wear, but Nadia and other Christians cannot. All we are asking for is a level playing field for all faiths." Andrea Williams of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship said, "The forces of political correctness are such that an individual needs to be very determined to protect their rights." (Source: This is London, Oct/06)

Nadia Eweida lost her fight to openly wear a cross necklace at work at Heathrow. BA denied it had banned the wearing of crosses and said its uniform policy stated that such items could be worn if concealed underneath the uniform. Nadia said people of other faiths were allowed to wear visible religious symbols such as headscarves and she wanted to be allowed to do the same.

BA said in a statement, "British Airways has 34,000 uniformed staff, all of whom know they must abide by our uniform policy. The policy does not ban staff from wearing a cross. It lays down that personal items of jewellery, including crosses may be worn , but underneath the uniform. Other airlines have the same policy. The policy recognises that it is not practical for some religious symbols, such as turbans and hijabs, to be worn underneath the uniform. This is purely a question of practicality. There is no discrimination between faiths." (Source: BBC News, Nov/06)

Race watchdogs have launched a probe into a relaunched 1939 Dandy annual after claims it uses racist and inflammatory language. The children's annual, which has been reprinted for the Christmas market, has been branded racist for using the word 'nigger.' In the 1939 comic strip, Smarty Grandpa, the word is used four times by characters during the course of single-page story. Smarty Grandpa says he is going to listen to the 'nigger minstrels' but finds his face blackened when a bag of soot he is holding bursts.

As Grandpa heads for the sea to wash the soot from his face, an old lady says, "Poor old nigger minstrel. Here's a sixpence for you but your show isn't very good." Grandpa then thinks, "That lady thinks I'm a nigger. That gives me an idea", before he goes to help two musicians whose own show has flopped saying, "Hi folks, help the nigger minstrels." The Dandy, the world's longest-running comic which was launched in 1937, has been branded racist for using of the word. (Source: Mail on Sunday, Nov/06)

This Government and many of the town and city councils are the cause of any racial discrimination that exists. There must be a plan to eliminate England and all English customs from the British Isles. I am filled with fury at all these different customs, beliefs, traditions that have invaded England, and replaced our own customs and traditions that have been handed down to us through the centuries.

Because I am filled with these feelings the Government and councils have won, but they will accuse me of being a racist. I am a traditionalist. We must accept Diwali, and all its accompanying celebrations, with good grace, while our own beliefs and celebrations are to be wiped out in case they upset others. Well hard luck to them, I am going to have my traditional, loving Christmas, and I hope that it is a peaceful one.

The irony of it all is that this government went into Iraq in order to tell them and them how they should live, even though their country existed thousands of years before England was born, while our own country is in a state of chaos because of the stupid directives that the Government keeps giving out. Ivy Ryalls