Shameful
Racism is unacceptable wherever and whenever it raises its ugly head, but it is particularly shocking in a crowded public space.
I'm a huge fan of the Bull Ring markets - I buy my fruit and veg there each week, often buy fish and sometimes buy meat. But yesterday, in the open market, I witnessed a sight that appalled me.
Two men - one a trader, the other a customer with a foreign accent - we arguing about the price of an item on sale.
I think the row was caused by a lack of understanding on the part of the customer and, to some extent, I had sympathy with the trader.
However, any sympathy disappeared swiftly when the trader shouted at the punter: "F****** foreign...." and there followed an offensive word beginning with third letter of the alphabet.
This was in a place crowded with shoppers of various ages and nationalities. It was in a place which attracts visitors from beyond Birmingham. These words also betrayed an attitude that has no place in the 21st century.
This guy brought disgrace on the decent traders around him
I trust those who run Brum's great markets will write to all traders pointing out in the strongest terms that swearing is unacceptable and racism even more so.
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Paul Fulford
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What did the Market Office say when you reported the incident?
I am so sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience on our market. I myself am a trader on the open Market and also a member of the traders committee. You are right there is no place in our society for such disgusting behaviour and it saddens me that someone with so little respect for others can cause a bad reputation for the rest. I have first hand understanding of the multi culural enviroment that the market is. Yes sometimes it can be difficult when lines of communication are not clear but what this calls for is some patience and people skills which is what our job is all about. The city council markets department would deal with this kind of behaviour very severly and anyone proven to have displayed these sorts of actions face the possibility of losing their stall and being banned from the market.There is a complaints procedure in place where anyone experiencing this or any other untowards behaviour can go to the customer centre on the market site and report the trader or stall concerned. May I take this oppotunity on behalf of the market traders to offer our sincerest appologies and I hope to see you back on the markets soon.
Many thanks for taking time to reply, Bernice. I use the open market weekly and know from experience that this sort of behaviour was a very rare exception. I think the markets are one of Bham's gems and can't imagine not using them.
I'd love to see more Brummies use them, too. Especially in these times when we're all watching our pennies.