The courts have said that Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers are protected against race discrimination because they're ethnic groups under the Equality Act. Under that same definition, Muslims are an ethnic groups and are protected, Jews are an ethnic groups and are protected, but none of them are actually a race.
I'm not a Gypsy, but if I were I could find this highly offensive. It's arguably the last bastion of racism
So they're protected by anti racism laws, yeah? And singing about pikeys at football matches could get you arrested, yeah? And saying that 'nobody likes them' is offensive, yeah?
Saying that nobody likes Gypsies is racist? I hate to break this to you, but they're really not very popular.
But that's more ironic, as he isn't fat (or at least he wasn't at the time). That's with the understanding that both parties aren't really like that. Big difference. In the case of the Brighton fans, using chants that make a mockery of homosexuality isn't acceptable because it insinuates that being gay is a bad thing, will make the other person feel bad and something to be put down for. I know somebody personally (a Derby fan) who received a two year banning order (along with his two brothers) for chanting "You'd best get back to your bumming". He didn't understand what the problem was. But then he is a ****ing moron.
I don't think people don't like them because they're travelers, where they are from has nothing to do with it. It's their penchant for fighting, poor treatment of women and stealing of things that people take issue with. They could be from Denmark or Algeria or Cuba, but if they behaved like that it's going to piss people off.
Someone did once get arrested for it, but it was a bit of a waste of time Football fan who shouted "pikey" at player cleared of racial abuse http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/football-fan-who-shouted-pikey-205747 Saying people don't like Gypsies isn't offensive or racist, it's merely a statement of fact, they're disliked by the vast majority of people.
Travelers don't like being called gypsies, and gypsies don't like being lumped in with travelers. You're mixing two separate groups.
Singing "does your boyfriend know you're here?" is ironic. Because most of the male Brighton fans in attendance that day wont have boyfriends. Both parties knew that. Singing "you fat bastard" suggests that being fat is a bad thing.
I'd never treat a whole community of people from all around the world as one, as I understand that in any large collective people will have different traits and character attributes. But that's just me.
I've passed no comment at all on my own personal opinion of Gypsies or Travellers, I've merely said they're not liked and they're not.
You said, and I accurately quote, 'nobody likes Gypsies or Travellers'. Nobody would include you, me, John Fashanu and Benjamin Netanyahu.
It isn't racist at all. Are you telling me things like grabbing aren't going to annoy people outside of that culture? I hosted a traveler christening at my pub in Leicester and the back room was literally decommissioned for a month. The people were so nice and they paid up front in cash, but it wasn't so great when a van pulled up outside and a load of others piled in with bats and crowbars and started smashing people/windows/police officers. Turns out they owed money to another family. Saying you don't like somebody because of what they do isn't racist. Racism attacks the part of a culture that defines people (the bit they can't help being), are you saying that travelers are defined by violence, crime and misogyny? Or that they can't help it? It isn't racist to say that a person wearing a burqa makes somebody nervous. It's a fact, it makes some people nervous. I couldn't give two ****s either way, to me it's their choice. But it does scare some people.
I could decide I didn't want to contribute anything and ignore the rules others have to abide by, sell my house and buy a nice 4 wheel drive vehicle and a caravan and call myself a traveller and due to Blair's stupidity be considered a protected minority.
