Plonker........... Sunderland fan pleads guilty over racist tweets Peter Copeland, 29, admits two offences after tweeting racist comments in a row with a Newcastle fan Newcastle striker Demba Ba, right, with Papiss Cissé, was the subject of racist tweets by Peter Copeland. Photograph: Scott Heppell/AP A football fan who caused outrage on Twitter by sending racist tweets has admitted two offences. Sunderland fan Peter Copeland, 29, was arguing with a Newcastle United fan on the site when he made the remarks. Copeland tweeted one comment about the Newcastle star striker Demba Ba's lips exploding. Sunderland magistrates court heard that he followed it up with another which said: "With the number of darkies in your ****ing team, you should be called the Coon Army." Peter Anderson, prosecuting, said this was in reference to Newcastle United's Toon Army nickname. The comments were made on 17 January and followed Newcastle signing Ba's Senegal teammate Papiss Cissé. Unemployed Copeland, who lives with his parents in Benridge Bank, West Rainton, Durham, admitted two offences under the Malicious Communications Act and will be sentenced on 27 February. Copeland said he was not racist and claimed a friendship with the black ex-Sunderland player Gary Bennett, the court heard. He was arrested after the journalist Colin George, who works for the north-east-based Evening Chronicle and Journal titles, reported the tweets to Northumbria police, magistrates were told. Anderson said: "His comment upon arrest was: 'All this because I called Demba Ba a black bastard?"' Copeland told police there had been "banter" with a Newcastle supporter and his comments were an attempt to wind up the rival fan. "He accepted he had gone way too far," Anderson said. His tweets provoked 50 to 60 responses from other Twitter users unhappy with the remarks, the court heard. "He decided thereafter to close down his Twitter account," Anderson said. Copeland already had a conviction under the Malicious Communications Act, the court heard, but this concerned warning off an ex-partner's new boyfriend and was not of a similar nature to the racist tweeting. Ruth Forster, defending, said: "From the outset Mr Copeland has been extremely remorseful. "This case may act as a stark reminder that as soon as a comment is posted online it becomes available for the masses to see. He never intended his comments to reach a worldwide audience." Forster said the Twitter row between Copeland and the Newcastle fan had started innocuously, but swiftly became nasty with the two trading insults before her client made his "stupid mistake". After realising how widespread his remarks had become, he wrote a letter of apology to Newcastle United. Forster urged magistrates not to link the case to football's other high-profile race issues. She said: "I think you have to look at him as an individual who made the mistake of putting a tweet on a public site. These comments could have been made at any given stage when there was no media hype with high-profile players in high-profile cases." She added: "Mr Copeland accepts these comments were outrageous and totally out of line." The chairman of the bench, Thomas Eastick, adjourned the case for sentencing after indicating a "medium level community order" was being considered. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/06/sunderland-fan-guilty-racist-tweets?newsfeed=true
says it all but sadly these people are still alive, kicking and dont see what they are doing wrong. No doudt he shouts how great our Sess is.
Some time ago I left this site for a while because I suggested we should have a form of sanction used by moderators which somehow referenced a "sticky" or some policy wording....whenever this topic or any other raised its ugly head In truth I didnt know how it could be done really but stuff like this always throws up the question "What do you do"...Some at the time said it didnt exist anymore Yet its very obvious that it does . Im chilled whenever theres another death in Afghanistan and theres another "reference" in The Commons....like this it always seems inadequate...
So you rather this wasn't on here? Enough complaints i will remove it... But seeing as it was a supposed Sunderland fan, thought i may be topical...and not just bury the matter.
I think he's saying he's appalled by it ...somehow. I also once suggested a sticky stating we do not accept this sort of thing ... oh, and Syd's a doggy-balls licking pufta.
Absolutely disgusting, you only need to read the story to know what a waste of oxygen this guy is, throw the book at him
Why on earth did you draw that conclusion??? Exactly the opposite !!!! The whole point I was making was that in the case of the Notices of Deaths in the Commons they always seem inadequate ( to me personally) Though the least one can do is to declare the loss Similarly I feel that all we can do is expose racism when it occurs and this article certainly did that for me (as it was news for me) after that you are left just agreeing its bad And After that its forgotten about till it raises its ugly head again.... Like I said A Policy statement or something as a sticky seems inadequate as well..... Why did you think I was anti your piece?????
Not being funny, regardless of what team these clowns support they are starting to creep in since the John Terry and Luis Suare incidents.
There is still a massive underlying problem of racism in society which often manifests itself in so-called jokes which do the rounds on text messages etc..None of us can be comlplacent if we are going to eradicate this disease from our society and need to stand up against those who send these "jokes" around...
I could certainly put a sticky to highlight it but it is in the Forum rules in the abbouncement at the top of every board. Its sad that in this day and age we still need to say its against the rules but thats the way it is and may always be. BTW I know tash is many things but dont thing racist is one of them.
The problem with ,any is summed up for me by a friend, she sears blind she is not racist, in her words I have nothing against them, telling in itsef. When the Darlington story broke I was sitting in her house, TV on and the strory came on, an interview with the previous owner arkie"was met with,"Oh, another darkie", nothing racist in that she said, he is a darkie. That one little story, to me, shows the big problem, its easy to spot and call the nasty racist who shouts racist remarks to hurt or insult, its the ones who honesty cant see it that are hard to change.
This. The fight against racism was never won, just now it lies beneath the surface. Just because racist chants are no longer heard at games it doesn't mean the thoughts and attitudes have vanished, and if you believe that your not living in the real world. I hear racist language at the pub, in the street at work frequently. I think racism is so ingrained in all races against others I can't see it being eradicated in the near future. In fact with increasing world conflicts and fighting over resources its probably going to get worse. Makes you proud to be human !
I think raising the racism subject is more or less pointless. All over the world there Is different forms of racism, and trying to stop individuals from making silly remarks is impossible. I think the people of the NE need to venture further south to realise the true extend of racism in our country, it swings both ways.
Hello Syd....I think that would be a good idea but like all good ideas whether or not it would do any good or not.????...As you say its in the Forum rules so thats good enough for me A couple of years ago on TV I saw this racist thug being interviewed ....He was National Front The laws werent as tight as they are now but he sailed close to the wind all through the interview going as far as he dared At the end of the interview the journalist asked him a question which if hed answered would`ve damned him He just flipped over his lapel and tapped his hidden swastika.....If we start creating our own badges/stickies were probably playing by his rules.....good to talk it through though! D
