Help bf has been accused of being racist

[WorriedAndConfusedHelp]

I have NC for this. I don’t even know if this is legal. I will try to keep it short. I don’t even know the full facts yet, just from a five minute phone call. My boyfriend has been accused of being racist. A manger of his called him into a meeting this morning about comments he left on his PERSONAL Facebook page (told him to get rid of Facebook as it’s nothing but trouble but he likes it so whatever). It is set to private so I think someone from his work has done this on purpose as sabotage. He had left a comment regarding a park by us that has just had caravans occupied by travellers moved on and he commented that the park was left looking like a bomb made out of shit exploded over it. That was IT. He was told he had to sign some sort of disciplinary form admitting he was wrong for making racist comments (not too sure about that part will have to ask later). He refused and has told me he might lose his job because he refused. Is that even actually allowed?From comments on a private face book page? I don’t even think it’s a horrible comment to make, he didn’t say anything about travellers just at the state of the park which DID look an absolute mess for days afterwards and still does a little bit. I am absolutely fuming not with him but with his workplace and the little spy that alerted management. What to do?

There is no such thing as a Facebook page being private. It's a common misconception. You can't own it. Anything you write is out in the public sphere. Most employers care about what image their employees are broadcasting on social media and take action.

I have nothing but contempt for anyone who would report a stranger to their employers for expressing their personal opinion on their personal FB page. It's extremely worrying that so many individuals think they are entitled to police others to this extent.

100% this. It's pathetic

And the comments were on a public newspaper article, not on the employee's own page.

I nearly got thrown off my college course/been unable to apply to university for writing 'steer clear' as a status because someone anonymously reported it as being aimed at her. It was because I was having a bad day.

To those who questioned (politely or rudely) what I did, I don't think people who make openly disablist comments then refuse to engage in any dialogue about what they said are fit to be customer facing employees in the National Health.

And who are you to decide that? Unbelievably arrogant point of view

If you or your relative had a disability would you want to be treated or dealt with by a disablist health practitioner?

It doesn't sound as if it was a personal fb page. It sounds as if he commented on a public page.

Context is everything. There is a huge difference between "look at the state of this park", "look at the state that these specific people (perhaps with pics of cars etc) left this park in", and "look at the state that these travellers left it in because they're travellers and travellers are all (insert description here)".

I think it's fair enough as a landowner or council tax payer to be annoyed - the mess and costs are huge. Look at these pics. I've also known travellers to demand £10-15,000 cash to go, because they know that's what the land owner faces coughing up anyway. If you're wondering how they manage to create so much mess in just a few days, a common trick is to offer house clearance in the area, then just dump everything on the land that you are squatting on. So trying to pretend that no damage is ever caused and people are just being NIMBY or racist is not right.

BUT nor is blaming it on the fact that they are travellers. They are individuals who've made a disgusting and selfish choice. That's all. If you want to name/shame (or rather identify) specific people, because you know for a verifiable fact it was them, that's one thing. Just bashing travellers is another, and it's wrong.

Anyone who uses FB and thinks it's in any way private is foolish IMO. Of course your BF's comment, was not racist, if as written here.

I so agree with ReanimatedSGB and am shocked at those admitting to being tell tale snitches on here.

ilovesooty you did the right thing IMO. I'd have done the same.

The garden centre list leading to disciplinary measures about disabilism was a troll. Don't perpetuate myths.

(If I recall correctly, it was a shopping list with 'dwarf trees' on it. The whole thing was made up).

How can it be racist. Travellers aren't a race anyway. All he did was state a fact about the condition they left the site in. Absolutely nothing racist about that whatsoever.

Thanks Chaotica

That person caused distress to people with disabilities who read the comments - they said so. I certainly didn't like to think their attitude to invisible disability was something they brought to work and dealing with patients.

Well, you could tell your brother to stop being a racist arsehole?

It was her boyfriend. And how does stating travelers left a park a mess (as often happens) make you a racist Areshole? Did you even read the post?

@logicalmum

As posted earlier in the thread

"The Equality Act 2010 says you mustn’t be discriminated against because of your race. If you’re a Gypsy or Traveller, you may be protected against race discrimination."

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/discrimination/protected-characteristics/gypsies-and-travellers-race-discrimination/

Ok so travellers want to be defined as a race. I suppose it can get them off the hook for lots of stuff. But stating a site that they were on was in a state isn't racist. Being factual isn't being racist at all.

Did travellers leave this park looking like a shithole? Yes they did. Can we say that out loud? No we can't. We are in an era where observing and telling the truth about reality has become "problematic". It's people like the OP's bf - unsophisticated or perhaps unbrainwashed - who fall into the bear trap of noticing and commenting on reality.

I do look forward to the day when society shifts one more cog round the politically correct circle and saying derogatory things about, say, paedophiles (or probably at that point "men who love children") on social media becomes a hate crime.

Then a whole heap of the angelic progressive women on MN are going to get a rude awakening about how a PC-run society actually works.

OK, if someone posts on social media that they hate/despise/want to hurt [category of people] and it is very clear that this person has a job which involves dealing with that category of people and having power over them, then it might be reasonable to contact their employer. But there are some officious little shits who would report somebody for what is clearly an expression of exasperation or the type of black humour very very typical of the emergency services. And some employers who will throw a staff member under the bus without a proper investigation rather than cope with a Twitter pile on from self-appointed moral guardians. So think before you stick your beak in because something's offended you a bit, particularly when you are not in the category of people you believe is being spoken about in the first place.

We had someone report an employee where I worked for sharing ukip posts. He was given a heads up to remove the company name from his profile and that was it.

The garden centre list leading to disciplinary measures about disabilism was a troll. Don't perpetuate myths.

Well pardon me, how is anyone to know? This thread could also be a troll. There seem to be so many I really don’t think I can be bothered with MN any more.

@Mikeyssister

Not 'These people', I said saying 'Those people'. There is a difference between saying 'These people' and 'Those people'. 'Those people' implies a particular group or type of people separate from 'us' or 'the norm', and it sounds exclusionary.

Comments on social media = public unfortunately, regardless of privacy settings. It will still bring his company into disrepute, especially if he lists his company anywhere on his profile (eg ‘works at X’, photos in uniform etc). Racism and discriminatory behaviour is inexcusable - hardly sabotage. If that’s what your guy feels comfortable saying online I would hate to think about what he’s like in private

I think as he’s signed it there is more to the story than he’s told you, you don’t sign anything that your not guilty of, unless he’s rather thick or extreamly naive!

This sort of shit is why I'm so glad I'm self-employed. If you have reported it correctly op then what your bf said was not racist it was a fact. However, these days the PC police will pick up on anything.

threats of violence about other people they would come into daily contact with in their job

I'm thinking that's why - I would have too!

It's then up to their employer to assess the situation and the employee fully.

@AcrossthePond55 Got it. Thanks