STRICTLY COME DANCING RACE ROW 2009

[Jelakins]

Strictly Come Dancing: complaints about Anton Du Beke still rising



Complaints about Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke's racist remarks have continued to rise despite the BBC's attempts to draw a line under the affair.

The BBC said that as of this morning it had received 426 complaints about the revelation that Du Beke called his dancing partner Laila Rouass a "Paki" during rehearsals.

This represents an increase of more than 50% on yesterday's running total of 281.

In the first day after the News of the World revealed that Du Beke told Rouass she "looked like a Paki" when she showed up for a rehearsal with a spray tan, there were 63 complaints.

Du Beke issued an apology for his remarks, which Rouass accepted, and the pair are training together as normal for this week's show.

The BBC also said today that it had taken 24 calls from people saying that the issue had been blown out of proportion.

It has denied accusations of double standards for backing Du Beke when it dropped Carol Thatcher for calling a black tennis player a "golliwog", in remarks that were, like Du Beke's, off air.

The BBC said that unlike Du Beke, Thatcher had not given an "unconditional" apology.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oc ... on-du-beke

[Jelakins]

Brucie wades into Strictly racism row
by Daily Gossip Oct 8th 2009 4:48AM




Bruce Forsyth has said the nation should get a "sense of humour" about the Strictly Come Dancing race row.

The veteran TV host, 81, called for people to accept the apology offered by Anton du Beke for telling celebrity dance partner Laila Rouass that she looked like a "Paki", and move on.

Strictly presenter Forsyth said that in days gone by the "slip up" would have been treated in a more light-hearted way.

Forsyth told radio station TalkSport: "We used to have a sense of humour about this.

"You go back 25, 30, 40 years and there has always been a bit of humour about the whole thing. At one time the Americans used to call us 'limeys' which doesn't sound very nice, but we used to laugh about it. Everybody has a nickname. And Anton is such a sweet guy, it's such a terrible shame."

The BBC has resisted pressure to sack du Beke from the hit series following the off-air comment he made to Rouass during rehearsals.

He has since apologised "unreservedly" for his behaviour towards his dancing partner, who has Indian ancestry. Rouass has accepted du Beke's apology for the comment and said he did not deserve to be sacked.

Speaking to Adrian Durham and Darren Gough on Bowtime, Forsyth was asked if du Beke's apology and Rouass's acceptance of it should be the end of the matter. "Of course it should," said Forsyth.

The BBC has faced claims of double standards over the incident, which arose when former Footballer's Wives star Rouass turned up to rehearsals after having a spray tan. Carol Thatcher was axed from her role on BBC1's The One Show after she used an offensive term during a chat in the programme's green room.

The corporation drew a distinction between the two incidents, saying that du Beke offered an unreserved apology, whereas Thatcher apologised but continued to maintain her comment was a joke.

http://celebrity.aol.co.uk/2009/10/08/b ... ism-row%2F

[Jelakins]

So.....

Is this being blown out of all proportion?

Was it incorrect but acceptable to call Rouass a 'paki'

Have people lost their sense of humour in this increasingly PC world...?

Or are the BBC accepting of institutional and ingratiated racism?


Let's discuss......

[Rose21]

What's a Paki?

[Jelakins]

If Laila had laid him out when he asked her if she was a terrorist when he first met her, he would not have taken it further and go on to call her a Paki.
Unacceptable.
Totally unacceptable.

You are joking!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been thinking more about what Bruce said and its almost like he is saying that if he had called her a Ni***r it would have been ok because 20,30, 40 years ago people had a 'sense of humour'....

There is no difference between Ni***r, Paki, Spiv or Limey - they are all offensive and have no place in todays 'decent' society.