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'Upset' Stansted Security Staff reaction to Muslim quip. Careful what you say there.

Lapin

A pensioner who said ‘I’m not Muslim’ when he was asked to remove his shoes at airport security has spent more than six months facing charges for racism.

Paul Griffith, 75, set off the security scanner’s alarm at Stansted airport when travelling to Malaga for a week’s holiday.

He removed his shoes as requested, but said: ‘I am not Muslim am I?'

A security guard accused him of racism and called the police, saying he was upset by the remark.

'One minute I am queuing up to get on a plane and the next I am confronted by two armed policemen.

'They said I had used racist language and took me to an office in the terminal,' Mr Griffith said yesterday.

Mr Griffith was allowed to go on his trip but was arrested when he returned. He was charged with causing ‘racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress’.

Article

The security guard is obviously in the wrong job. I don't deny what the pensioner said was a tad silly but it was harmless and should have been dealt with by having a quiet word in his ear rather than wasting police time simply because someone was 'upset'.

Do you go running the gardaí everytime you're 'upset?' Afterall, the only reason we have to remove our shoes at airports is due of the actions of British terrorist, radical Sunni Islam Richard Reid, AKA the 'Muslim Shoe Bomber. So the harmless but ill considered remark by Griffith at Stansted wasn't completely without foundation.

Some people are too sensitive for their jobs. Thankfully sense prevailed here and this case was thrown out before it got to court.

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Lapin

RobYourBuilder wrote: »

How did these people ever run such a large empire?

Because we were part of it.

But thats for another day.

dquinnan

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

That's an anecdote not a statistic. Guys like you would be happy enough in totalitarian societies though. Just keep your head down. Be grand.

Being prepared to follow simple rules and not being an idiot in an airport is equal to living in a totalitarian society now is it? Bloody hell.

jahalpin

The security guard should be fired and the CPS should take a serious look at the amount of time wasted with this and ensure that it does not happen again

At the moment, Muslims are the number one security risk to the west, they have no problems blowing themselves up, so security should be focused on ensuring that they do not pose a threat to the other passengers on the plane

The enhanced security that is in place in relation to bags and liquids is due to the actions of Muslims who have either blown up planes or tried to blow up planes

The man in question was simply stating a fact, he is not a Muslim. he did not racially abuse the security guard and he does not even appear to have been rude to him

The Backwards Man

RobYourBuilder wrote: »

How did these people ever run such a large empire?

By being tolerant and embracing of other cultures, among other things.

The Backwards Man

jahalpin wrote: »

The security guard should be fired and the CPS should take a serious look at the amount of time wasted with this and ensure that it does not happen again

At the moment, Muslims are the number one security risk to the west, they have no problems blowing themselves up, so security should be focused on ensuring that they do not pose a threat to the other passengers on the plane

The enhanced security that is in place in relation to bags and liquids is due to the actions of Muslims who have either blown up planes or tried to blow up planes

The man in question was simply stating a fact, he is not a Muslim. he did not racially abuse the security guard and he does not even appear to have been rude to him

Wow.

Littlehorny

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

He's also 75. What's the charge for. The phrase "I am not a Muslim" isn't even sectarian never mind racist. It's a statement of fact. He may have believed that only Muslims were targeted. Or that only Muslims should be ( or targeted more frequently). I mean until about a decade ago Irish people were treated differently. Most people understood this.

Exactly, he stated a fact about himself. It would be different if he said something like, those effing Muslims ruining air travel for the rest of us.
As someone already said, new airport security laws are supposed to protect normal people going about their lives.

Mardy Bum

jahalpin wrote: »

The security guard should be fired and the CPS should take a serious look at the amount of time wasted with this and ensure that it does not happen again

At the moment, Muslims are the number one security risk to the west, they have no problems blowing themselves up, so security should be focused on ensuring that they do not pose a threat to the other passengers on the plane

Despite this being not very PC I would agree. It is a total waste of resources checking a 75 year old man when it is patently obvious he will not be blowing up the plane. Resources should be used much more intelligently rather than this meet your daily target in every demographic approach.
The pensioner in this case is obviously not the sharpest tool in the box mind.

Frank Lee Midere

I grew up in Ireland and England. On my time in rural Ireland I joined a marching and concert band. This was early nineties. We decided to play in holland. This involved taking a bus to Rosslare, across Wales and England to Harwich and then to Hook of Holland and onto Amsterdam.

It was the early 90's. The IRA was active in the UK and had also bombed Holland in recent memory. I can't remember why.

Because a marching band has instruments and because those instruments come in large heavy cases and those cases are opaque the bus was effectively a security threat and so we had to disembark at 1 am in Wales for 3 hours and remove all our luggage and open them. The instruments were even taken apart. Because of the security threat in holland the same happened in Harwich ( although it was more perfunctory and lasted an hour). To add insult to injury the Dutch police raided our stage after we played looking for bombs during the interval before the English band came on after us ( a band we were friendly with by then).

Nobody much minded. If they did I would got a lot of stick having recently come from England.

Back then security trumped PC and hurted feelings.

renegademaster

dquinnan wrote: »

Being prepared to follow simple rules and not being an idiot in an airport is equal to living in a totalitarian society now is it? Bloody hell.

jahalpin wrote: »

The security guard should be fired and the CPS should take a serious look at the amount of time wasted with this and ensure that it does not happen again

At the moment, Muslims are the number one security risk to the west, they have no problems blowing themselves up, so security should be focused on ensuring that they do not pose a threat to the other passengers on the plane

The enhanced security that is in place in relation to bags and liquids is due to the actions of Muslims who have either blown up planes or tried to blow up planes

The man in question was simply stating a fact, he is not a Muslim. he did not racially abuse the security guard and he does not even appear to have been rude to him

"In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain of corn will pass undigested through the body of a bird."

George Orwell ; 1984

Greenmachine

Lapin wrote: »

You quoted my entire post to be the first to reply and all you say is that.

Articulacy deficiency syndrome?

But yes, the security guard's reaction to a harmless comment was indeed, very OTT.

You understood, that I was agreeing with you. Did not see the need to over articulate the point.

Littlehorny

Once drove to Belfast with a couple of mates to a concert in the Kings Hall in 1992 in an old van. We were pulled in by British soldiers 14 times! 8 on the way up and 6 on the way back. As we made our way back down home the British soldiers were asking us did we enjoy the concert!
As others have said this PC bullsh*t has gotten way out of hand , those airport security workers should be told to cope on.
We didn't mind getting stopped back then because the Troubles were still full on and even we had to admit 3 young men in a battered old van looked dodgy as fook.

renegademaster

Littlehorny wrote: »

We didn't mind getting stopped back then because the Troubles were still full on and even we had to admit 3 young men in a battered old van looked dodgy as fook.

how so?

Donkey Oaty

Littlehorny wrote: »

Exactly, he stated a fact about himself. It would be different if he said something like, those effing Muslims ruining air travel for the rest of us.

Maybe he did say that. There's usually more to these things than meet the eye.

Alternatively, maybe the security guard said "Sir, may I remind you that as it is almost Islamic prayer time, please could you remove your shoes in accordance with the Hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khurdi."

P. Breathnach

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

He's also 75. What's the charge for. The phrase "I am not a Muslim" isn't even sectarian never mind racist. It's a statement of fact. He may have believed that only Muslims were targeted. Or that only Muslims should be ( or targeted more frequently). I mean until about a decade ago Irish people were treated differently. Most people understood this.

Come off it. There was a clear implication about Muslims generally. That sort of speech should not be condoned, or even excused.

Frank Lee Midere

The Backwards Man wrote: »

By being tolerant and embracing of other cultures, among other things.

Your view of history certainly is backwards then.

Frank Lee Midere

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Come off it. There was a clear implication about Muslims generally. That sort of speech should not be condoned, or even excused.

He didn't say anything about Muslims. He said he wasn't one. You want a 75 year old man arrested for that? Jesus wept.

auldgranny

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

He didn't say anything about Muslims. He said he wasn't one. You want a 75 year old man arrested for that? Jesus wept.

He implied that terrorists are only Muslims and he being a white Englishman deserved to be treated differently than another person. Good enough for him.

[Deleted User]

Littlehorny wrote: »

We didn't mind getting stopped back then because the Troubles were still full on and even we had to admit 3 young men in a battered old van looked dodgy as fook.

renegademaster wrote: »

how so?

Even today, three young men in a battered old van would be seen as dodgy, especially if it was cruising around an upmarket area.

Frank Lee Midere

auldgranny wrote: »

He implied that terrorists are only Muslims and he being a white Englishman deserved to be treated differently than another person. Good enough for him.

He didn't imply anything. What was inferred was up to the security guy. Who was, by the way, the one in the position of power here.

What's your opinion on the stories in this thread about how Irish people were treated in security in recent memory?

Frank Lee Midere

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Even today, three young men in a battered old van would be seen as dodgy, especially if it was cruising around an upmarket area.

Southern reg cars were always treated differently up there. Ethnic profiling. Yada.
Yada.
Yada.

Overheal

BlatentCheek wrote: »

This nonsense isn't restricted to the UK.

A very old man I know was going through Dublin Airport a couple of years back when a security guard made a big deal of his crutch. When the man said "sure it's not like it's a machine gun" the security guard made a huge deal of it. He made the man feel like he was in big trouble for using the word "machine gun" in an airport and would not get on his flight. Luckily an older member of security staff came over and told the younger security guard to cop the **** on.
Personally I always find security staff grand but I believe that they're not always as well trained as you might expect.

The issue is security have a high turnover rate so training and standards are ultimately slack.

auldgranny

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

He didn't imply anything. What was inferred was up to the security guy. Who was, by the way, the one in the position of power here.

What's your opinion on the stories in this thread about how Irish people were treated in security in recent memory?

As I think you posted yourself security trumps pc.
I think irish people were treated shamefully up north or in the UK at times.

cerastes

renegademaster wrote: »

the more you think about the reasons behind all these ridiculous checks the more you realise we've all been had, big time!!

what the hell is the reason? I still think despite any restrictions, if someone wanted to get through security with something that circumvents the measures, they could, somehow, or they will avoid air transport and focus on something else altogether.
I've wondered would some lower form of attack, introducing bedbugs (maybe it was just poor standards in NY) be a lower cost and more fruitful venture than say blowing up a plane or flying into buildings.

Maybe some ideas? it promotes the idea or view that the powers that be are in control?, people then believe this, not being in a fearful mode they travel, spend, are good consumers?? it creates an environment where the powers that be can impose further restrictions without providing a reasonable reason as to why?
something else?

renegademaster wrote: »

and dont get me fcuking started on the 100ml limits on fluids!! :mad::mad:

Im interested, it does seem ridiculous, at the least it means unprepared, you might have to spend money on replacements in duty free.

renegademaster wrote: »

how so?

Dodgy, have you seen pictures of back then, young lads going around with dodgy haircuts, beards and taches, add to that driving a van in the troubles

, I can see how they might be targeted (for inspection).

As for some cantankerous old guy, I think its OTT, not racist anyway, insensitive, just gives the security an excuse to overreact.

Precious flower

It was a stupid, insensitive thing for the guy to say, I don't care what age he was he should know better than that. However, that was an overreaction by the police though, six months is ridiculous. The security in the airport should have just taken him aside and told him that what he said was inappropriate and offensive. I mean, replace 'Muslim' with 'Irish' and it's not so funny, it's extremely hurtful to categorise a group of people for the actions of a minority.
Irish people were once the the target of comments like that.

seenitall

Am I the only one here who upon reading the OP, thought the old man said it in relation to having to take his shoes off as Muslims do in spaces of communal prayer?

Lapin

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

It was the early 90's. The IRA was active in the UK and had also bombed Holland in recent memory. I can't remember why.

British servicemen based in Germany at the time were often the target of IRA scum when they crossed the border into the Netherlands when off duty.

In 1998 three RAF men were murdered in two seperate attacks while in 1990 they killed two Austrailian tourists in the name of Irish freedom having mistaken them for members of the British forces.

I also travelled around Europe quite a bit during this time and it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience being Irish at many border crossings, airports and ferry ports.

But I understood perfectly why this was the case and never had a problem with it. When discussion ever did arise, whether among officials or among fellow passengers, I simply let it be known that the IRA scum did not represent my or my views and opinions and I detested their actions as much as anyone, as did the vast majority of Irish people.

I may have been slightly irked if a person being checked in front of me at the time objected by saying 'But I'm not Irish am I', but I would never have been 'upset' or offended by such a comment.

Reganio 2

My social commentary of the day. Muslims are the new black people. Not racist but these are things people used to say about black people all the time. The world spins.

Generic Dreadhead

renegademaster wrote: »

"In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain of corn will pass undigested through the body of a bird."

George Orwell ; 1984

Thanks for putting it all in Bold...... I wasn't sure where the text was :rolleyes:

Son Of A Vidic

md23040 wrote: »

airport security pick on the weak and vulnerable in society whom are meant to be protected under these same security measures - the degree of irony is totally lost on me.

Yet it's amazing how all those young lads buying one way tickets to Turkey arouse no suspicion.

The Governor

I am not a Muslim

*awaits Gardai knocking in the door*