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January 12 Prince Harry condemned for 'racist' remark What's happening?
Like grandfather, like grandson: Prince Harry is following in the footsteps of his gaffe-prone grandfather, Prince Philip, by putting his foot firmly in his mouth – again. Harry is under fire from political and religious groups for referring to an Asian army colleague as a ‘Paki’. Video footage of the remark, shot in 2006, was published online last week by the News of the World. The word is a derogatory term for an immigrant or descendant of an immigrant from Pakistan and the young royal’s remark has provoked widespread condemnation.
What are people saying?
Harry has since apologised, insisting no malice was intended. David Cameron, the first senior politician to comment, stressed the importance of “rooting out” such attitudes in Britain’s “great institutions”, but said no further disciplinary action was needed – a sentiment echoed by Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg. The Muslim Council of Britain, a moderate group, said the Prince had done the right thing by saying sorry: “In the big scheme of things, there are more important issues that we should be discussing, not least the carnage in Gaza,” a spokesman told Reuters. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission, an independent body set up to help eliminate discrimination, told MSN: "These appear to be disturbing allegations and we will be asking the MoD to see the evidence, share that evidence with us and their plans for dealing with it. We will then consider what further action might be necessary."
Why should we give a damn?
What constitutes an offensive word is now the subject of reinvigorated debate. If terms such as ‘Brit’ and ‘Aussie’ are acceptable, why is ‘Paki’ not? Because, argues Murad Ahmed in the Times, the term comes from a different era, when it was used by racists to communicate violence and intimidation. Harry’s latest misdemeanour (since 2004, the son of the heir to the throne has traded blows with a paparazzi photographer and been criticised for wearing a Swastika to a friend’s fancy dress party) has also called into question the merits of a hereditary monarchy: are we expecting too much of boys from a broken home, forced into unsuitable boarding schools and “living their lives under a media microscope”, asks Guardian columnist Peter Preston.
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