Discrimination against the GAA in the north - action request

[T Fearon]

http://www.tesco.com/help/jump.asp?choiceB=4

Hope you all find this useful.

[Bud Wiser]

E-mails aren't worth a shite, we need to send letters that they have to open and reply to, or else make a statement.  The Dail have email addresses for every TD and Senator but since the banks story they do not take email.  There are legal issues here, for Tesco.  There is legal issues about Racism, Discrimination and precedence set to prove that they are after entering a legal minefield that the Minister for Equality and Law reform should know about.   Make them open about a thousand lettrs and reply to them, or if they don't ring them and ask them when will they reply because a refusal constitutes proof taht they are engaged in Racism.

[T Fearon]

Bud, as much individual contact with tesco as possible, by phone, letter or email, will have an impact, in my opinion.

Also think the Irsih community in Britain has a role here.

Excellent about about Racism by the way.

[Jinxy]

Please telephone our Customer Service Helpdesk on 0845 300 70 80 (8am - 8pm Monday to Saturday, 10am - 4pm Sunday and Bank Holidays. Calls may be recorded.).

Our Customer Service Adviser will ask you about the nature of your complaint and seek to resolve the problem while you are on the line. If this is not possible we will agree a course of action with you.

You may also submit your complaint in writing to: Tesco home phone, PO Box 5879, Forres IV36 2YF.

Or via an e-mail enquiry to support@tescohomephone.com

During any discussions we will protect the privacy of the information that we hold on you. We may have to ask you questions to confirm that we are speaking to the right person.

I think those contact details are for the Tesco telecoms section so I wouldn't use them for something like this.

[Bud Wiser]

Racism.  Yep, they could be in trouble here Tony A Chara,

I am going through the law on this right now and as far as I can determine they have engaged in public racism.  Also, if the Children were employed by Tesco by way of a contra deal they were still employed and under the new Equality & law Reform deal they could be in more trouble.  The only way they have out of the Racism one is to let the kids back in again in their club gear (assuming they have previously had other community groups in their gear do the same) and make a public announcement to the effect that a special fundraising date will be held again.  Then everyone in the South could go up and support St. Comgalls that day.   

http://www.aboutequalopportunities.co.uk/high-profile-discrimination-cases.html

[Jinxy]

How is it racism?

[T Fearon]

Treating people less favourably because of their perceived cultural/ethnic background. I'm no legal mind but even I can see this. It wouldn't have happened if an Antrim based soccer club or the Boys Brigade/Girl Guides had been fund raising in Tescos.

To be fair this seems to be attracting the ire of nationalists and unionists alike, according to the story on the Belfast Telegraph website. To date there is not one contributor supporting Tesco's action.

[Bud Wiser]

How is it racism?

Click on the link above your post and tell me how its not.  If say the local tennis club, bowling club or andy one single club whatever were allowed to do bag packing in their uniforms (and they have) and these kids were made removed theirs tell me why the club could not sue them on behalf of their members for a policy that was based on racism.  Im not a solicitor but I'm not a complete thick either !!

[Son_of_Sam]

That's a complete disgrace, its really awful that a bias against the GAA still exists. I have actually experienced a similar bias from a friend when I lived up in Dublin, her dad was a teacher in a non-denominational or multi-denominational school in a leafy Dublin suburb. I asked her would it be possible for her to put in a word with her dad for me and a few of the lads from the team to go talk to the 5'th & 6'th years seeing would they be interested in joining our football club. Her response was that it was a non-denominational, non-sectarian school. I was like "what the fcuk do you mean non-sectarian?" She said GAA might not be appropriate to the ethos. I responded by asking her did they play cricket there, she responded yes, to which I said "well where I come from cricket isn't very fckn non-denominational". Now we are friends & she wasn't having a go, but its an attitude that exists in certain parts of Dublin, especially south of the river. What surprised me more about her attitude is that her boyfriend is mad into hurling & a culchie.

I very much doubt this story . I've never heard of a "non-denominational, non-sectarian" school down here or anyone who would consider the GAA sectarian. Care to say which suburb is was?

Her wording was non-sectarian not the schools type, as I said at the begining it was either multi or non can't remember which. But this story did happen & too me, the reason I won't say the suburb because it would identify me & the fact that her boyfriend was a mad GAA head I don't want to make it obvious who I am, but I'm sure if I ever told him this story after a few pints or if she told him, that he has copped who I am anyways. What do you mean that there is no one in Dublin who doesn't have that point of view, I can remember being late for training and grabbing a taxi, said I was off to football training & he starts talking about soccer, when I said that I meant GAA by football he went off on a rant that it was the sectartian game & unlike my Southside friend, I he sounded very much a Northsider.

[Jinxy]

How is it racism?

Click on the link above your post and tell me how its not.  If say the local tennis club, bowling club or andy one single club whatever were allowed to do bag packing in their uniforms (and they have) and these kids were made removed theirs tell me why the club could not sue them on behalf of their members for a policy that was based on racism.  Im not a solicitor but I'm not a complete thick either !!

Blatant discrimination yes, racism no.
When they changed their T-shirts they were allowed back in to continue packing bags.
Pretty sure they were still the same "race" after the change of clothes.
Shouting racism in a situation like this serves no purpose whatsoever and makes you look a bit hysterical.

[winghalfun]

I was in the Enniskillen branch of Tescos on Sunday past and Enniskillen Rangers were bag packing for their club, It didn't even enter my head not to put something into their collection box.
They were wearing their club polo shirts with their club crest on it.

It was their youth section that were doing the packing.


Seems the Antrim problem was a weak branch manager who should have told the bigots where to go.

[Maguire01]

Racism? Were these GAA youngsters of a different race?

[mylestheslasher]

Racism? Were these GAA youngsters of a different race?

Lads its blatant discrimination. Racism? Maybe not if taking a literal definition but then doing that is just being pedantic. I won't set foot in tescos again, north or south, I can promise you that. The sad thing now is that there is no "out". If Tescos allow the kids back there will be a mob of loyalist scum outside beating their chests and god knows what they will do (we all know what they are capable of doing, even to kids). Will parents allow their kids to be subjected to this to make a point, to right a wrong? I doubt they would.

[Jinxy]

Racism? Were these GAA youngsters of a different race?

Lads its blatant discrimination. Racism? Maybe not if taking a literal definition but then doing that is just being pedantic. I won't set foot in tescos again, north or south, I can promise you that. The sad thing now is that there is no "out". If Tescos allow the kids back there will be a mob of loyalist scum outside beating their chests and god knows what they will do (we all know what they are capable of doing, even to kids). Will parents allow their kids to be subjected to this to make a point, to right a wrong? I doubt they would.

It most certainly is not being pedantic.
They were treated differently to everyone else because they were wearing GAA regalia, not because of their race/ethnic background.
There's no need to muddy the waters here.
The incident is bad enough as it is without trying to manufacture a racism angle.

[tyronefan]

doesn't matter what you call it,  it was wrong and tesco's should be told

if this was a group of protestant kids told to take off their rugby jerseys you can be sure big Ian and his all his little soldiers would be there the next day with their placards