London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

British Judge says calling black people 'coloured' is OK 'if trying to be polite'

British Judge says calling black people 'coloured' is OK 'if trying to be polite'

Ryan Justin filed a launched a harassment claim after a white colleague used the outdated word but it was thrown out by employment Judge Robert Clark who accepted the worker was trying to be polite

A black cleaner has lost a tribunal case against a white colleague who used the word 'coloured' after a judge ruled it was acceptable for older people to do so.

Ryan Justin filed a launched a harassment claim but it was thrown out by employment Judge Robert Clark who accepted the word was 'outdated' but said Markham Pell was trying to be polite.

The case was launched after Mr Justin was working a night shift at Pure Gym's fitness centre in Derby, when he was angered by a comment left by Mr Pell using the terminology.

The fellow cleaner had written a note stating 'three coloured guys were messing around (i.e. play fighting and not really training)'.

The tribunal heard that Mr Justin 'took exception' to the use of the word and three nights later he confront Mr Pell 'in the spirit of education' to explain why black people would be offended by the word.

The judge ruled Markham Pell was being polite when he used the term 'coloured'

When he did Mr Pell immediately apologised and said he didn't mean it to be 'nasty or upsetting' and he genuinely hadn't meant to be racist.

He claimed he had been worried about using the word 'black' to describe the men as he thought that was itself offensive and so he decided to use the word 'coloured' instead.

He said the men had actually been of South Asian ethnicity and he had been unsure how to describe them in his note.

Mr Justin stormed out of the gym and later sent an email telling his boss he resigned because he would 'rather walk out than get into any conflict'.

Judge Robert Clark said the 'older' Mr Pell was 'a particularly naive and timid' individual who described himself as 'being raised in an old fashioned household'.

He said: "[We found] Ironically, that he had chosen this word in the misplaced belief it was more appropriate, albeit he subsequently realised and accepts it could cause offence...

The harassment case was thrown out of court


"We accept he will go some way to avoid confrontation if he can.

"His own life experiences are such that he is aware of the need to be culturally sensitive and is conscious of not inadvertently offending others, not least because that could itself be the source of the conflict he otherwise tries to avoid."

He added: "Wrongly, [Mr Pell] now understands, he had been anxious about describing anyone as 'black' as he perceived that could be offensive generally.

"His restricted vocabulary was compounded further when trying to describe individuals from an Asian background as black."

In his witness statement to the tribunal, Mr Justin said: "Black people have had to put up with offensive name tags or described with offensive racist slurs for many years, however times have changed and this should not be accepted or considered OK in this current time.

"The guilty parties should be made to learn what effect this has had on individuals and communities."

Giving his conclusion, Judge Clark said: "We agree entirely with that sentiment. Nothing we have concluded should suggest otherwise.

"The fact that this outdated language was once used descriptively by people who genuinely felt it to be a polite term, is only so because of the less polite alternatives that existed in that past era.

"We accept white people of a certain age who perhaps have not had much opportunity to benefit from multi-cultural acquaintances in their day to day lives may draw on this outdated language in the mistaken belief it is polite and genuinely descriptive.

"The same may be said of younger people who have grown up in such households. That seems to apply to Mr Pell who, we accept, appears otherwise to try to conduct himself in life in an inclusive manner."

The tribunal ruled, that ultimately, Mr Justin's approach to Mr Pell was 'confrontational' and Mr Pell had genuinely been trying to apologise for doing what he thought was the right thing to do.

It ruled that Mr Justin's claims of harassment both failed and were therefore dismissed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×