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Prince Harry's racist comment 'unacceptable', says Brown
Monday, 12 January 2009
Prince Harry's controversial "Paki" comment was branded unacceptable by Prime Minister Gordon Brown today, as Defence Secretary John Hutton confirmed the young royal would be interviewed by his commanding officer.
But the premier also declared he thought the prince would be given the benefit of the doubt by a public conscious of his combat service and charity work.
Mr Hutton confirmed Prince Harry would be interviewed in the next few days by his Household Cavalry commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Fullerton, about the incident captured on video and disclosed by the News of the World.
Harry was caught on film three years ago referring to Pakistani platoon member Ahmed Raza Khan as "our little Paki friend".
The video, in which Harry is also heard calling another Sandhurst colleague a “raghead”, is the latest controversy to surround the prince. In 2005, he apologised to Jewish groups after he attended a fancy dress party wearing a Nazi armband.
Palace officials said the 24-year-old Prince was "extremely sorry" for the comment and stressed that Harry had been speaking to a friend without malice.
But the soldier's father, Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Abbasi, accused Harry - who is third in line to the throne - of using a "hate word" against his son.
Mr Brown, asked about Harry's comments, told GMTV: "I think the sincerity of his apology cannot be doubted.
"It was a mistake, he has made the admission of that and, once he has made his apology, I think the British people are good enough to give someone who has actually been a role model for young people and has done well fighting for our country, gone into very difficult situations with bravery, I think they will give him the benefit of the doubt."
But he added: "I think Prince Harry knows that these comments are unacceptable and I think he has made an apology.
"I think it is a genuine apology. These comments have no part in our life and I think he is meeting his commanding officer quite soon to talk about them."
Mr Hutton told MPs at Commons defence question time: "I think we would all accept that the use of that kind of language has no place at all.
"Prince Harry has made a very genuine apology and I also believe that no individual offence was intended by his remarks.
"Harry himself, I understand, will be interviewed by his commanding officer in the next few days."
The Defence Secretary added: "We should not lose sight of one very important fact in all this, that Prince Harry has served his country on active service in Afghanistan and I believe very strongly that there is no better example of public service than that."
Colonel Paul Farrar, the Army's deputy head of recruiting, said today the use of words that could cause offence was "unacceptable".
He told London's Evening Standard newspaper: "None of this helps the Army and whatever we do to try and encourage people from diverse backgrounds to join.
"I haven't seen the full context of what he said but any sort of throwaway line of this nature is to be regretted."
Major Glenville Lindsay, a black Army officer who is a senior ethnic minority recruiter, said he thought language such as that used by Harry was "a thing of the past".
He told the Evening Standard: "Banter should never offend. I would never make an assumption that it's OK to use words like that."
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@Mickey, I can't see why it's relevant but that's fine.
Each situation was a little different but I expressed my displeasure at the term and suggested they don't use it again towards me. This was met by a mixture of responses, some would try to brush it under the carpet and act as though I didn't challenge them, some offered an apology and unfortunately some people have shown outright hostility that I dare say anything at all!
Posted by roy | 13.01.09, 15:01 GMT
Roy "I've been called Paddy on the odd occasion, can't say I appreciated it."
So what did you do about it. Something? Nothing? If "something", what was the outcome? If "nothing", why not?
Posted by mickey | 13.01.09, 10:38 GMT
It's unfortunate that what Harry perceived as a bit of harmless name calling, has made the press.
It starts in the school, kids pick up on a visible trait of their peers which is different or 'not the norm'.
I suspect Harry was often referred to as 'Ging' or 'Ginger', but that's ok apparently. I have a ginger mate who secretly hates the tag (which means I only heighten my use of the term, naturally), but the public perception is that the terminology used by Harry to his Asian colleagues is worse. Why?
Posted by mickey | 13.01.09, 09:46 GMT
Far too much has been made of this - this incident happened three years ago and I think it's clear to eveyone that Harry has grown up considerably since then- as the article points out, he's served in Afghanistan and done significant charity work. If there was a real problem, then this incident should've been flagged in 2006, by the guy at whom the comment was directed and not used by the media to generate headlines. Yes Harry should have apologised, as he did, and there should be the end to it.
Posted by GC | 13.01.09, 08:17 GMT
Lighten up, Muslims! You need to develop a sense of humor.
Posted by Jim Guinnessey | 12.01.09, 20:58 GMT
Yes, so what indeed. Speaking as ex-military myself, military humour differs vastly from civvies - less political correctness and all, regardless of skin colour, play at it. There really is no big deal here.
Posted by johnh | 12.01.09, 19:30 GMT
@ Centaur. Rough n tough is fine but this young man is a member of the royal family, we pay for him on a daily basis and he is ment to be a role model. How can we criticise young racists in hoodies when it's acceptable for a prince? If he'd called his colleague a 'Nigger' would you still be so liberal in your attitude? 'Look here's our little friend Nigger' sounds terrible right? So what's the difference?
Also did you appreciate getting called 'Paddy'? Was that acceptable to you? Being called something because of where people perceive you come from? I've been called Paddy on the odd occasion, can't say I appreciated it.
Posted by roy | 12.01.09, 18:27 GMT
Was the person he was referring to offended? I doubt it! Was it banter among friends? Most likely! Get over it all you oversensitive politically correct people. All things in context!
Posted by Alison | 12.01.09, 17:25 GMT
I suppose this means that we will not be allowed to shorten any names now to describe someone. No more Aussies, Jocks, Taffs, Yanks, Poles and oh dear what will the Shinners do if they can no longer refer to the Brits.
What a ridiculous mountain is being made out of a molehill. Anyone with half a brain who saw the clip on TV could see that the remark was made in a joking way. Yet again the PC brigade leap on the bandwagon.
Interestingly the person who the Prince was referring to has not complained.
Posted by Alan | 12.01.09, 17:09 GMT
You see at his position he should have known better, but he may have used an unpolitically correct remark, but he did not seem to intend it to be derogatory and should not be deemed a racist. I've met REAL racists, and these people hate non whites to the point they hate being in the same room as them. People need to get some perspective on life, concentrate on the real problems we face.
Posted by Paul | 12.01.09, 10:50 GMT
So What! He is still a young man, who is serving his country, like all of us, he ain't going to be perfect. For young men in the army, terms like 'Paki', don't carry the same significance, as they do elsewhere. That is not something that needs changed, just something that should be taken into consideration.
Posted by Stuart | 12.01.09, 04:57 GMT
So what? It's the Army for heaven's sake! Squaddies will always have a rough 'n tough sense of humour and I, for one, think it is good that a Prince should be exposed to (and give out) that sort of earthy humour.
If I had a pound for every time I was called a "Paddy" when I weas in England, I would be a wealthy man. This Politically Correct nonsense has gone too far. We are all adults and have to learn to live with the rough and the smooth. By all means eliminate outright rascism such as Nazism, but let us have some earthy humour to smooth the everyday trials of life.
Good on ya Harry!
Posted by Centaur | 12.01.09, 03:03 GMT