Conservative Councillor Brian Gordon who ‘blacked up’ to impersonate Nelson Mandela, following a hale of protests has said he does not understand what the fuss is about. Gordon decided to dress up as Nelson Mandela as part of a Purim costume, but it backfired as a storm of protests followed including a complaint to the Commission for Racial Equality.
Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Stieve de Lance, who made the complaint called for Cllr Gordon to be sacked. Yet, responding to the criticisms Council leader Mike Freer demonstrated sheer ignorance when he said:
“Are we now saying that white people cannot dress up as black people?” These are supposedly representatives of the ‘new’ Conservative Party that has left it’s racist past behind.
The same party whose leader said in a speech at the Ethnic Media Conference last year: “I want our new councillors and council candidates to lead the fightback against racism and division.”
The Commission for Racial Equality has launched an investigation following a complaint by a Liberal Democrat colleague on Barnet Council in North London.
(Source: This London)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
11 Responses
hail not hale.
Looks like a great costume to me,,,,comeon now, some sense of humor may be needed.
I wonder if he would’ve dressed up as Ariel Sharon or another Israeli minister, if there would be such a hail of protest. Just goes to show the anti-semitistm out there!
‘………donned a HOOK nose…a COIN CHanGER……’
Ofcourse it would be more insulting because those points are steriotyping
Jews, whereas in this case he just painted his face black without any offensive insunuations against Africans.
illini07: It indeed would be offensive if a black man did what you described. But had he dressed up as a specific person (as Gordon did) it would not be offensive.
rose- im confused! wasnt the whole issue with the factthat he dressed like a BLACK politician…
its high time that pp fully red the articles before responding!!!
tek-that’s what I was saying. People only made a fuss that he dressed up like a black person because he was making fun of black people. And people care about black people. On the other hand had he dressed up as an Israeli minister nobody would’ve uttered a word in protest. Because nobody cares about the jews!!!
illini07: I don’t understand – what is wrong if a black man dresses up as a white man?
I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about.
If a black man wants to dress up as a white man, will there also be a hail of protests?
Or is the problem really that Brian happens to be Jewish and white and to be both these is not very popular in English politics at the moment
this has nothing to do with the fact that he is jewish. it has to do with the fact that a white man is dressing up as black. unfortunatelly in this country due to so many social programs trying to give blacks equality there is actually reverse discrimination. if it was a black man dressing up as a white guy there would be no story
When I was in the Mir many years ago, a bocher was doing an imitiation of Rabbi Klein ZTL when suddenly Rabbi Klein ZTL walked in. We all thought he was a dead man when Rebbe looked at him and said, “Imitation is a form of flattery,” and promptly walked out. Ut iz a gavra raba!
The complaining lib is looking for press time and he found it.