Maltese woman wins 'racist' case

Anthony Butcher · 16-07-2006, 01:40 PM

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=230880
I post this here because the UKIP name is so closely associated with RKS:

Quote:

HSBC in London has lost a case of racial discrimination after a Maltese staff member objected to a comment made by a manager to a colleague.

Maltese employee Ruby Schembri, 35, took the bank to an employment tribunal after her manager told a colleague she would be voting for Robert Kilroy-Silk at the last general election because he promised to "get rid of the foreigners", The Independent news-paper reported.

The comments of the manager, Debbie Jones, were described as "unacceptable" by bosses at the bank, yet she was cleared internally of misconduct and not disciplined. She remained at her post at HSBC's branch in Barnet, North London, apart from a few days compulsory re-training.

The tribunal, however, unanimously decided that HSBC and Ms Jones had racially discriminated against the Maltese woman and both were ordered to pay compensation.

The case is one of the first to find that a comment not directly made to another person can constitute racism.

In her witness statement, Ms Schembri, who moved to the UK with her husband in 2004, said the incident took place in April, 2005.

Ms Schembri added: "I found Debbie's racist comment to be offensive and very hurtful. I left the room and was on the counter. I began to cry."

In her witness statement, Ms Jones said that all she had said was that she would vote for Mr Kilroy-Silk because he would get rid of immigrants. She denied using the word foreigners.

But the press reported that the tribunal had taken contemporaneous statement into consideration, when she admitted she had said she would vote for Mr Kilroy-Silk because he "would get rid of the foreigners". The tribunal chairman said it was reasonable to infer that the remark showed a "substantial dislike of foreigners".

A spokesman for HSBC UK said that Ms Schembri had won on just one of five grounds, and that Ms Jones had since been given race awareness training.

Ms Schembri from Hertfordshire told the British press: "I feel vindicated. It really hurt me."

mkpdavies · 16-07-2006, 01:49 PM

1. When did RKS ever say he would get rid of anyone? Can he sue for libel here.

2. Is it really a crime to have that opinion anyway? If so, how come the BNP are still in business.

BASILDON BOY · 16-07-2006, 02:23 PM

Lets take this to its logical conclusion - if there was a TV programme where two people are talking and I objected to what they said could I sue their bosses?

mkpdavies · 16-07-2006, 02:24 PM

Depends on what you said I guess.

extra ordinary · 16-07-2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BASILDON BOY

Lets take this to its logical conclusion - if there was a TV programme where two people are talking and I objected to what they said could I sue their bosses?

what have we become as a nation when we can no longer talk about what we wish the way we want to.

is this Great Britain or East Germany in 1964 :?:

get on this ukip and fight PC now !!!

Alex McKee · 17-07-2006, 03:28 AM

Absolutely unbelievable. When did it become a crime to hold an opinion?
This has to be stopped now.

komerad · 17-07-2006, 11:29 AM

I doubt if UKIP will get a better chance than this for a press release that would make the media take notice - it's a gift.
So where's the PR?

kedlo · 22-07-2006, 08:08 PM

Why would she get so offended over something which wasn't specifically aimed at her, and which wasn't that offensive in the first place? she should have just ignored it.

16-07-2006, 01:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 31,183 Party: Libertarian Party	1. When did RKS ever say he would get rid of anyone? Can he sue for libel here. 2. Is it really a crime to have that opinion anyway? If so, how come the BNP are still in business. __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

16-07-2006, 02:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 31,183 Party: Libertarian Party	Depends on what you said I guess. __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

22-07-2006, 08:08 PM	#8 (permalink)
kedlo Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 68	Not aimed at her Why would she get so offended over something which wasn't specifically aimed at her, and which wasn't that offensive in the first place? she should have just ignored it.

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16-07-2006, 02:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
BASILDON BOY Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: N'Djamena, Chad Posts: 1,852	Lets take this to its logical conclusion - if there was a TV programme where two people are talking and I objected to what they said could I sue their bosses?

17-07-2006, 03:28 AM	#6 (permalink)
Alex McKee Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Gloucester Posts: 6,666	Absolutely unbelievable. When did it become a crime to hold an opinion? This has to be stopped now.

17-07-2006, 11:29 AM	#7 (permalink)
komerad Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cardiff. S.Wales Posts: 611	I doubt if UKIP will get a better chance than this for a press release that would make the media take notice - it's a gift. So where's the PR?