Councillor hits back at racism claims over Facebook comments about Travellers

A councillor has admitted he should have obtained proof before ‘pointing the finger’ over vandalism at a nature reserve honouring Easington’s mining heritage.
Cllr David Boyes admitted he had made mistakes, but said he was a 'passionate anti-racist'Cllr David Boyes admitted he had made mistakes, but said he was a 'passionate anti-racist'
Cllr David Boyes admitted he had made mistakes, but said he was a 'passionate anti-racist'

But after accepting his comments on Facebook had been ‘careless’ and being told to formally apologise, Cllr Boyes insists the process has ‘vindicated’ him.

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“When I was accused of being racist, that was one of the worst things you could say to me, I am a passionate anti-racist,” he said.

Cllr David Boyes insists he has been ‘vindicated’Cllr David Boyes insists he has been ‘vindicated’
Cllr David Boyes insists he has been ‘vindicated’

“The nature reserve is effectively a memorial, as far as I’m concerned in Easington it is considered consecrated ground.

“When people turned up in May and caused damage to the picnic tables there I was told it [was travellers] and I said that.

“I shouldn’t have done that, I hold my hands up to that, I shouldn’t have done that without proof – I should have seen evidence first before I started pointing the finger.”

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However, he also accepted that someone without knowledge of previous vandalism at the site or his own campaigning could ‘jump to the conclusion’ his comments may have overstepped the mark.

Cllr Boyes also claimed replies to his original Facebook post had reflected the ‘anger’ at the damage caused to the nature reserve, which is also a memorial to miners and rescue workers who died in an explosion in 1951.

A complaint was later submitted by Dermot Feenan, who claimed that Cllr Boyes’s original post, a follow up post and the fact he had liked several replies amounted to ‘prejudice towards Travellers’ and broke the county council’s code of conduct.

An investigation however ruled the councillor had been ‘careless rather than malicious’ and told him to issue an apology and undertake social media and equalities training.

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Mr Feenan however has described the hearing’s outcome as ‘insufficient, irrational and incoherent’.

He said: “While it is important that Cllr Boyes was instructed by a public authority to issue an apology, and there is some merit in the apology, the apology as a whole is inadequate.

“I do not believe that Cllr Boyes has been properly sanctioned.”

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