Saturday, September 23, 2006

Police force admits it illegally discriminated against white men

Great when the cops break the law!

A police force that rejected 108 potential recruits because they were white men has admitted positive discrimination and agreed to pay compensation. Gloucestershire Constabulary said that it had been trying to increase diversity with its policy of selecting women and candidates from ethnic minorities. But at an employment tribunal in Bristol yesterday, the force admitted that its actions were unlawful and agreed to pay compensation to one potential recruit. Further claims from the other 107 men, who were told by the force that they had been "randomly deselected", could now follow.

Clive Tomer, chairman of the tribunal, said yesterday that Gloucestershire Constabulary had been "at the very least disingenuous and at worst misleading". He ordered that the claimant, Matt Powell, should be given 2,500 pounds for injury to feelings. The tribunal was told that Mr Powell, 30, had applied to join the force in October last year after seeing a job advertisement in a local paper. A month later, after being told that he had progressed to the second stage of the recruitment process, he left his job as an IT team leader at Filton College to concentrate on his application.

But in January he received a letter saying that he had been "randomly deselected". Despite repeated calls to the force's human resources department, he was never given an explanation for his rejection. In April the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission started an investigation. They reported that the force had unlawfully discriminated on the grounds of race and sex. The tribunal was told that two thirds of white men who applied to join the force in last year's recruitment drive had been turned down. Every ethnic minority candidate who applied had been invited to an assessment centre.

Speaking at the tribunal, Mr Powell said: "I didn't come here for the money. I just want to be heard. I firmly believe a wrong has been done here. I was, I still am, desperate to be a police officer and they have unfairly discriminated against me." Nigel Tillott, his lawyer, said: "It is now clear how far public authorities can go in positive discrimination. What they cannot do is discriminate against white males."

Gordon Ramsey, the head of human resources, apologised yesterday and said: "We were trying to advance diversity in the force and we thought at the time that this was lawful, positive action. When we found out after an independent investigation by the Commission for Racial Equality that it wasn't lawful, we accepted that."

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ANIMAL NUT JAILED

A British cancer research specialist has been jailed for three years for waging a campaign of sabotage and vandalism against companies linked to an animal testing laboratory. To his colleagues, Joseph Harris, 26, was an outstanding doctor who had a glittering career ahead of him in his specialist field of molecular biology. But in private he became ever more tormented by the fact that his research work on pancreatic cancer was leading to drugs being tested on animals. Faced with an increasing moral dilemma and the estrangement of his girlfriend, who despised animal testing, he turned to violent activism to help ease his conscience and at the same time please her.

Between last December and January he attacked three companies contracted to Huntingdon Life Sciences in Cambridgeshire, causing damage valued at more than 25,000 pounds ($62,000). None was directly linked to animal testing. He glued locks, slashed tyres and put hoses through letter boxes, flooding offices. Harris is the first person to be convicted under legislation designed to tackle harassment and threats from animal rights campaigners directly linked to economic sabotage. Judge Ian Alexander said the conviction would also damage the people he had been trying to help.

"I am sorry that your conviction and the sentence I impose will seriously damage what was a very promising career," he said. "It may well be that your future inability to continue your research into gastro-intestinal cancer will be a great loss to those who suffer that disease." The judge added: "It causes me great discomfort in seeing you before the court, having thrown so much away."

The court heard that Harris found details of his victims on the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty website. All three companies have since ceased trading with Huntingdon Life Sciences. Rebecca Trowler, defending, told the court: "In that field, of course, there are experiments on animals. Inevitably, over time as his career progressed, he was coming under pressure to participate in these experiments." Harris had split up with his girlfriend, who could not accept his work and its tests on animals. Ms Trowler said: "The girlfriend had ended their relationship because of his continued work in the field of medical research because she disapproved of this activity. This put him in an increasing moral dilemma. Essentially he came to a crisis point and he took a very, very stupid decision."

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"Equal opportunity" dictates who can enter a bar???

More craziness in the Australian State of Victoria

A swank city bar wants the right to keep an even mix of men and women within its walls if noisy mobs threaten to wreck its atmosphere. Comme's owner this month applied to delay entry for some patrons to stop either sex swamping his serene wine bar. Renowned Melbourne restaurateur Frank van Haandel lost his bid to be exempted from equal opportunity laws at certain times in the Alfred Place hotel's bar areas. But the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal left the path open for him to try again.

Mr Van Haandel argued that delaying entry to keep an even split of the sexes would help block big rowdy gatherings of men or women invading the venue and ruining the relaxed vibe. The push follows past rulings on gender balance affecting some other bars and nightclubs that promote the mingling of men and women. But it sparked fears of disruptive queues from local residents' group Melbourne 3000 Inc.

Mr Van Haandel, who also owns the Stokehouse, Circa and Prince of Wales Hotel, said Comme's bar suited professionals and he was keen to retain its ambience. Some patrons had complained of groups of raucous men or women encroaching on the CBD after footy and rugby league matches, the tribunal was told. His company Halifex Pty Ltd's legal bid excluded the venue's private function and dining areas.

VCAT deputy president Cate McKenzie was unconvinced that a gender balance was the best way to prevent excessive noise. But in a written ruling she left the option of re-applying open if extra material was presented. Mr Van Haandel declined to comment. The chief executive officer of Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria, Helen Szoke, said: "Comme can deal very simply with the issue of noise and inappropriate behaviour by asking people to leave." [The stupid bitch should try kicking out drunks herself. She might learn something]

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