Sunday, September 11, 2005

The Welsh Race

The Welsh "race" is official. At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sheriff John Baird convicted Kevin Bonar, a Scot, of racially aggravated breach of the peace and fined him £250 for shouting abuse at Craig Bellamy, a Welsh international football player.

"There is no doubt being Welsh is part of a racial group" - Sheriff John Baird.

Is "English scum" still allowed?

4 comments:

Aiden Truss said...

Strangely enough, the only place I've ever encountered racism directed at myself was in Wales - drinking in a the New Inn in Llandewi Breffi (before it was famous!).

Until then, I'd always seen ribbing between English, Scots, Welsh and Irish as a tribal thing rather than a race issue.

But these guys had taken a dislike to me purely because of my English accent, as far as I could see. Turned out that one of them had lost his job that day and was looking to blame someone.

In the case you mention, I can only imagine that the guy was prosecuted because of the sectarian issues they have between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow. There was a documentary on TV a couple of months ago about 'Scotland's Secret Shame'. The police have to be seen to be clamping down - one gesture from a fan or a player can cause carnage between the factions.

Then again, I may just be trying to mitigate politically correct stupidity...

Anonymous said...

Who actually brought the case for Bellamy in the first place the RSPCA?

Snafu said...

Stevo, a Policeman apparently heard Bonar chanting!

Mind you, it looks like Bellamy should be able to take the abuse, he can certainly give it. Charges of "Racially aggravated behaviour" were dropped at an earlier hearing.

Snafu said...

Astolath, I was in Cardiff a little while ago and some drunk Welsh chap was screaming "English scum" to three English women and that they should go back to England in no uncertain terms.

I don't know whether the Police would have arrested him or not.