I don't think Anton will be replaced but I do not think he will be back next year, there is only so much you can say and later say sorry for it just doesn't wash anymore his comments this year (like those last - I haven't forgot his comment all fat people should be shot jibe) are ill thought out and ignorant and I have had enough of him

Slang terms

Person from Argentinia = Argie
Person From Austrailia = Aussie
Person from Britain = Brit
Person from Pakistan = ????

are we allowed to have slang terms for people from different countries when the majority of the poulations skin is not white?

I agree with drbolognaise. It's not good enough to merely claim that no offence was meant.

But then I think we should all take a step back. Look where this is being reported, the News of The World. We all know that they (along with the Sun) have an anti-BBC agenda. So no-one should be surprised that they have stirred up such a story, while they fall over themselves to praise ITV's Simon Cowell (as demonstrated in today's NOTW editorial). We can be certain that they would never ever report similar remarks if made by anyone on the X-Factor ... yet Cheryl Cole has certainly said (and done) far worse, allegedly.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2848665.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/p...vy-Cheryl.html

Blimey, what planet do you live & work on?

Read back on this thread a bit and you'll see that the P*** word has been taken by racists and used as a derogatory word to most people of an arabic/indian/asian ethnicity (not just people who are from Pakistan) for decades. There's just no way you can dress it up, using that word is wrong.

Its like the N word. I cant stand that word at all and dont always understand why black people say it themselves. Perhaps they are trying to take it back and are trying to rid it of it's racist undertones. But there are just some words which will never be able to escape the racist/derogatory undertones that come with it and p*** is one of them.

The planet that most non-racists come from?

I would like to know if any of the people here who think "p**i" is acceptable have ever been called names themselves.

If they like me had been variously described as a coon, wog, darkie, n****r, blackhead, gollywog (I've heard them all, as well as the p word and yet I have African origins), then they might have a different perspective.

I think the problem is that '****' has been used not to describe someone from Pakistan but as a derogatory term to describe Asian people in general - who can forget the slogan 'if you want a **** for your neighbour vote labour' etc and BNP use of the word.

What planet do you live on? Anton has been taking part in one of the most popular programmes on tv since it started and I'm amazed he finds such terms to refer to people acceptable. I'm surprised Laila continued to work with him, I know I wouldn't ,even after his apology, carefully framed by the legal department.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/strictly...cist-jibe.html

Problem is that Tony has gotten away with his snide remarks at people for years and years and he thinks he can just say what he likes - the Tony we know from the dance scene is finally rearing it's head

I do think it is a bit strange that people don't think the word 'p*k*' is offensive. I also think Anton has been an idiot. The incident happened a couple of weeks ago, yet has only hit the media this weekend, so I just don't think we have enough information to be making sweeping statements about what should happen or what has happened since the remark was made.

I still come back to: Who was sad enough to leak it to NOTW?

Unless we live in a very sheltered world, we must all of us have had things said to us that we found offensive, either deliberately or accidentally.

I've been offended by
people who make gratuitous remarks about my shape (a bit on the cuddly side, not many of those to the pound, love)
people who make rude remarks about my ethnicity (worked for many years in **** communities in this country)
people who make rude rewards about my job (to some, an unsuitable job for a woman)
people who make assumptions based on my nationality (I'm a Scot, so I must be mean and drink lots of whisky)

I think A du B's comment was unnecessary and unfunny. His partner accepted his apology. Who felt the need to tittle-tattle and why? For money? For stirring?

I must be too young to remember those.... though I've heard the word been said many times, I've never heard the term used in a derogatory or vitriolic way.

maybe I have been desensitised to it similarly to swear words people thought were more out of order "back in the day"

For an advantage in the competition? We are told by the ever reliable NOTW that it was overheard by 15 of his fellow competitors who were apparently all very shocked!

Oh dear, poor little flowers.



What is sad is that furores like this make it difficult for the victims of real racism to get the sympathy and support to which they are entitled.

But how much racial abuse STARTS with name calling - and then progresses?

I disagree. I think it is good that people realise that racism is still unfortunately around. Then people can be made aware of how wrong it is.

I object to the word 'P***' full stop. It's offensive and shouldn't be used ever. However, Anton has always struck me as the type of person who doesn't know when to stop talking and this just seems to be another instance of that. Sacking him isn't necessary but he does deserve some sort of official reprimand.

What is sad is that in a country where racial diversity is ingrained, where more people would describe themselves as practising Muslim than practising Christian, where immigration has contributed hugely to the character of our society - some people still think that laughing at someone for looking like they belong to a particular race is OK.

REAL racism, as you call it, is committed by people who grew up with attitudes like this and never learned that they were ludicrous, whatever the colour of their own skin. (My mum and aunt, who are half-Chinese, were called 'wogs' by the only black kid in their school, back in the 60s. Go figure.)

If we don't want the next generation of kids to grow up thinking that it's OK to discriminate against people based on their ethnic background then we better not pretend that stuff they can hear on telly, or from people they know are on telly, isn't a little bit serious.

Was not Carol Thatcher sacked by the Beeb for a similar remark after complaints by Jo Brand?

She was.The difference is that Ms Thatcher refused to apologise.

Having read this thread it seems a lot of people from other ethnic backgrounds seem to have been called a 'Pa*i'.

For those of you saying its PC gone mad, an overreaction etc i think this is where the problem lies.

I am Pakistani, at school me and my friends used racial 'slurs' against each other (including names for white people, irish people etc) but it was all humour, none of us got offended and we only said it to each other because we knew deep down none of us was even remotely racist.

If someone calls me a 'Pak*', unless they were being genuinely racist and intimidating to me, I would take it in jest. I am never called a 'Pa*i' for some reason, mainly to do with the fact that general English people have no clue who is Pakistani and who isn't.

It seems a lot of people of Indian or African descent get singles out for being 'Pak*'. So, not only are they being called what is generally percieved as a racial slur but they are also extra pissed off because they are not Pakistani in the first place. I know Indians in particular hate to be associated with Pakistanis, so you can imagine their irritation at being called one.

However, most Pakistanis have no problems with the word. Many of us use it in general conversation, maybe next time theres a cricket match on you should look to the Pakistani crowd and see the slogans such as 'Pak* Power'. 'Come on Pak*'s!' etc.

The problem with the P word lies with OTHER ethnic minorities who it seems are more upset with the fact they have been mistaken for a Pakistani, rather than being the actual victims of racism.

OMG he is such a tit, is he sacked yet?

He was doing better than ever with Hole in the wall as well.

If he is not sacked yet, it is sodding terrible.

I have adored anton since the beginning of the show and may be speaking with a hint of bias. That said I find it really hard to believe that he could be so stupid to say such things. Is there a reliable source to back up the claim. This is supposedly the second such racial slur he has made toward Laila.

Well, not so sure about a reliable source but he has made an apology which Im sure he wouldnt do if this accusation were false.