Monday, February 10, 2014
Policeman sues his police force for racial discrimination after colleagues refer to Romany gypsies as 'travellers'
Since they do tend to live in trailers it just sounds like an accurate description to me.
"Pikey" is however derogatory. It originally referred to Gypsies but now can be used to refer to any low and presumably criminal person. British law does however make use of the term an offence
A policeman is suing his bosses after colleagues allegedly offended him by referring to Romany people as 'travellers'.
Jim Davies, an Englishman of Romany descent, accuses police staff of using the word 'pikey' to describe other members of the Romany community.
The speed enforcement officer is suing Thames Valley Police for racial discrimination over the use of the terms.
He outlined his case at a preliminary hearing today, where a panel is set to rule which parts of his evidence will be admissable at the full tribunal.
The officer, who lives in Brackley, Northamptonshire, told the hearing in reading that he was offended by hearing Romany people described as 'travellers'.
He claimed the term had been 'institutionalised' at the force over the 20 years he has worked there, and was a discriminatory reference to his own ethnicity.
Source
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3 comments:
Amazing - "travellers" was itself a PC euphemism for gypsies or similar itinerants. It's clearly impossible to keep up with what is PC and then in turn becomes offensive (and so dangerous to careers, reputations and bank balances!)
The accusation of "racism" is used indiscriminately (no pun intended) as a blunt weapon in the hope of scaring the target as to the consequences of being branded a racist, whether with any justification or not (tho' usually not).
My Bulgarian friend was once called to a police station to translate for some suspects which he does for a living . On arrival he went to the front desk and told them he had arrived to translate for the gypsies . The police woman at the desk was appalled and told him he must call them travellers . He said why not as they call themselves Gypsies and he himself is a traveller as he came from Bulgaria . He was later written to about this and told to comply or the police would no longer require his services as a translator .
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