'Coconut' comment triggers police probe

The race row that broke out after a councillor accused a colleague of being a "coconut" is being investigated by the police.

Lib Dem Councillor Shirley Brown (Ashley ward) provoked outrage after she called her Asian colleague, Conservative Councillor Jay Jethwa (Stockwood), a coconut at a Bristol City Council meeting.

A "coconut" is a term used by black or Asian people to describe someone who is seen to have "sold out" their own culture, someone who looks brown on the outside but is white on the inside.

Mrs Brown, 47 and the authority's only black councillor, has since apologised for the offending remark, but after a complaint was made by a member of the public Avon & Somerset Police are investigating it as an alleged public order offence.

The comment will also be discussed at a meeting of the council's standards committee, after the Tories and four members of the public complained.

This is due to take place on April 9, shortly before the next local elections, and will be held behind closed doors for an initial assessment. The sub committee has three options; to refer the allegation to the monitoring officer for investigation or some other action such as mediation or training; in exceptional cases, refer the allegation to the Standards Board for England or decide no action should be taken.

Mrs Brown made the comment at a budget meeting last month, after Mrs Jethwa, 41, supported ending the £256,000 a year funding for the Legacy Commission, an organisation formed last year to support minority communities.

The proposal was thrown out, but the Tories have long questioned the organisation's value.

Mrs Brown felt it did a lot for minority cultures in Bristol, but herself was accused of racism after her comment to Mrs Jethwa.

After complaints were made she said she had not intended the comment to be racially insulting, and was quoted as saying "How can I be a racist when I'm black?", a statement that has also been criticised.

This is the second political storm Mrs Brown (nee Marshall) has faced recently, after she was accused of not having attended enough council meetings since marrying in the United States last year.

Conservative Chief Whip Councillor John Goulandris said: "We're appalled that appropriate action hasn't been taken against Councillor Brown for her deplorable use of racist slang. It's heartening our colleague Councillor Jethwa has received massive support from the Bristol public in condemning the racial insult made against her.

"In our view, Councillor Brown has compounded her earlier serious error of judgement by making equally racist and offensive claims in the national and local press. If anything, these subsequent inflammatory statements completely invalidate her 'supposed' apology. As a result, the Conservative group has lodged a formal complaint about the incident for consideration by the council's Standards Committee."

Lib Dem chief whip Councillor Mark Bailey said: "If there has been an alleged breach of the code of conduct this is the normal process, and we will abide by any judgment. If the police are investigating it's advisable not to comment."

A police spokesman said: "We've not received a complaint from the councillor but a third party. A member of public made a complaint that we're currently investigating. We take these things seriously and investigate any complaints."

Mrs Jethwa: "Everyone I meet tells me, what if a white person did it, and what if they were working for the council as an employee?"

● BBC news presenter George Alagiah is giving a talk in Bristol tonight about multiculturalism. Mr Alagiah, who was born in Sri Lanka, moved with his parents to Ghana before coming to the UK. A number of £7.50 tickets for the talk at The Red Maids' School are available by calling 962 2641.