A council worker in the UK has been fired after she reportedly compared Meghan Markle to a ‘Gollywog’.
A UK Council Worker Was Fired Over Calling Meghan Markle A ‘Gollywog’- The Council ‘Had A Zero-Tolerance Approach To Racism’
The perpetrator, Jane Copley, had apparently made the statement following the news that Meghan was pregnant with her son Archie. The comment caused a lot of offence, given that ‘Gollywog’ was deemed to have racial connotations.
A Gollywog, as shown in this picture, is a black rag doll that is often dressed in an exaggerated manner with many different bright colours. And it was a popular toy that existed within the UK.
Although Jane did not contest what she had said, her defence was that the statement was mere banter. As such, it was only a flippant comment and not to be taken seriously.
She was fired immediately, but appealed the decision on the grounds of discrimination. However, she failed to win over the tribunal, which brought her career to an end.
And yet, looking back, she could have no complaints. First of all, we are living in a very politically sensitive climate. This is particularly true given that the Black Lives Matter movement is now at the forefront of many political discussions.
Secondly, it turns out that this was not the first time Jane had acted like this. As a consequence, she could have no excuses over what had emerged.
In a statement given by the tribunal, they said: “[Jane]..told a ‘joke’ about Serena Williams’ minimal style of decoration being tyres and fruit.
“The aim was to liken her to a monkey. Some staff were particularly offended by the material.” Nevertheless, Jane continued to argue that the council failed to take into account her anxiety.
Given that the council is a public body that serves the interests of its area, they had no choice but to remove her to save their reputation. In this way, the council had acted in the most appropriate manner.
The tribunal added: “It was reasonable too, for the council to take into account that it served the public and expected particularly high standards of behaviour. For this reason, it had a zero-tolerance approach to racism.”
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