Colleague made racist remark on Facebook

[vivizone]

Keeping the FB theme that's on here today!
Not her first time. I suspect she is a EDL/UKIP supporter. Always with her Daily Mail tucked under her arm.
I just feel so cross. Cross that I know this muppet and cross with myself for not saying anything. Made worse by another colleague 'liking' the comment and replying 'too right, too right'.
We work for a really professional organisation. A very well known org.
Would it be wrong to report it at work? I will delete both of them although the woman who wrote the status is a right loud bully. I am shocked and really disappointed in collg who commented. Quiet as a church mouse and she shares that type of thinking.
Both me and collg who commented on the status are non white if it makes any difference.
Sorry for typos. Typing on phone.

[snowtimelikethepresent]

When I say zip it Calm I don't mean generally I just mean with the shaking jibes. I have already addressed that and have said we should agree to differ...is that not sufficient?

[Redbindy]

The fb comment may be crass, but it doesn't actually mention any race. As far as I am aware anyone can be a Muslim.

[KeepingCalmAndPostingNicely]

You want to shut me up too?

[whateveritakes]

I am also angry at the correlation of immigrants and smelling, and on this subject Holly I think you may be being deliberately disingenuous.

No one mentioned immigrants. Easy it is to make racist assumptions.

Actually if your diet is highly spiced food then yes it clings to your clothes. I got teased at school and TBH they had a point my clothes smelt. Same as the girl who's parents ran the chippy. It doesn't mean anyone is dirty/unclean which would be racist I think.

[claig]

'I have always admired the venerable English tradition of liberty and free speech - which means letting people say things we don't agree with.'

I wonder how much free speech we really have if employers can sack workers for their opinions, however repugnant. Are people free to be idiots?

I am amazed that people can't challenge their employers' decisions to sack them under EU Human Rights Law

'Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides the right to freedom of expression, subject to certain restrictions that are "in accordance with law" and "necessary in a democratic society". This right includes the freedom to hold opinions, and to receive and impart information and ideas.

? Article 10 ? Freedom of expression

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.
   

1. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.'
   

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_10_of_the_European_Convention_on_Human_Rights


I wonder if anybody has taken their employer to the EU Court over freedom of expression.


It is amazing that even in the United States which is the land of free speech, that the First Amendment is only there to protect people from the government, but not from employers.

www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-03/where-free-speech-goes-to-die-the-workplace

[edam]

Horrible comment. And it's hard to take that people are defending it. FGS this is basic racism/sexism/disablism 101 - just because one person does a bad thing does not make it OK to tar everyone who shares their gender/skin colour/religion/disablity with the same brush. Sheesh.

[snowtimelikethepresent]

sorry if that doesn't suit you

What a strange thing to say...no kind of terrorism suits me! I am not denying that there is a threat of terrorism from a very small minority of Muslim fundamentalists but to extrapolate from that to be afraid of all Muslims is just paln silly. But in any case, that was not the most offensive of the remarks imho.

[whateveritakes]

But it's ok to say Daily Mail readers are all racist?

[Goal]

Well yes as I said the comment was idiotic at least you now seem to acknowledge he source of the view rather than pretending that it was simply a random racist remark from nowhere.

Edam - no one is defending the comment, more the right to make comments that others may disagree with

[Goal]

So what really got you raging? Th idea that an overcrowded bus may smell?

[claig]

snow, she didn't say all muslims, she said a muslim guy with a large rucksack

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

snowtime. No, you weren't mistaken. Anyone who thinks otherwise is thick or a stirrer frankly

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

claig

She can tell the religion of a person sitting next to her?

[snowtimelikethepresent]

No, Goal as I have already said (and backed with quotations from the text!!) it is the fact that the idiot (your word) was linking unrecognised human beings with the smell. And to pretend that she was doing otherwise is special pleading to the nth degree.

[Redbindy]

Edam, putting religion in your list doesn't help anything. Everything else you mention is not a matter of choice,believing in sky fairies is.

[Goal]

The idea that for some people the world today is much more multicultural than hey are happy with? Is that what got you angry? Do you not think tat anyone has thOse sorts of thoughts? It's not my view, but I am aware that it is a fairly widespread view.

[snowtimelikethepresent]

No, you weren't mistaken. Anyone who thinks otherwise is thick or a stirrer frankly


Beautifully put Jamie: will you marry me?

[claig]

Jamie, she made a stereotyped assumption, just like some people do about EDL/UKIP Daily Mail readers.

[vivizone]

Yes edam - truly hard that people are defending her comment. I will approach her at work tomorrow (we work in different depts). I may not report her but I am prepared to let her know why I have deleted her.

I have screen shot the status in case she twists it.

I will also approach the second colleague although hardly ever see her. I don't even know where she sits.

I wonder what type of person who can be so comfortable that they can sprout all that ignorance knowing they have 'friends' on FB who are different from them. Like you really just don't care. Not even a thought crosses your mind that your professional career could be ruined. No self awareness at all.


Thanks all.

[Redbindy]

Jamie*
Maybe the Koran was a bit of a give away.

[snowtimelikethepresent]

Goal you are clearly not reading my posts (can't say I balme you!) so I will bid you goodnight.

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

I'm sure DM readers aren't under any kind of threat by virtue of their reading materials