One from the "you coulnd't make it up" files

[DrFfybes]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67784572

Summary: An Irish worker, in a Belfast store, of a chain of a company founded in Ireland, is told she can't wear an Xmas jumper with the Irish Gaelic for "Happy Xmas" on it.

But it would be OK if it was in Spanish!

Paul

[didds]

without - as an ignorant Brit - wanting to gloss over the difficulties surrounding that area of of the world, nonetheless my reaction, after considered and sober consideration is ...

FFS.

[DrFfybes]

Perhaps if Spanish was OK, they could have used Arabic, or Hebrew, or Russian, or Ukranian.

[Mike4]

Would she have been allowed to have it written in English?

[stevensfo]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67784572

Summary: An Irish worker, in a Belfast store, of a chain of a company founded in Ireland, is told she can't wear an Xmas jumper with the Irish Gaelic for "Happy Xmas" on it.

But it would be OK if it was in Spanish!

Paul

To be honest, it's a bit of a non-story. Some junior manager makes a very silly managerial error. It happens. Somebody higher up hears about it and the company immediately apologises.

I'm sure we've all been there.

Steve

[Arborbridge]

Would she have been allowed to have it written in English?

I've no idea about the sensitivities in Belfast, but I can guess the minor-manager might have been over-cautious due to echoes of the troubles.

Obviously, Irish (referring to a previous post) one might imagine could cause offense to some people who are firmly Unionist/Protestant, whereas Spanish or English wouldn't. Anyone should be able to understand that.

This is a region where they cannot even agree to having an assembly without years of wrangling - so I don't blame a manager for this - though it could have been resolved at the time without it becoming remotely noteworthy.


Arb.

[didds]

Obviously, Irish (referring to a previous post) one might imagine could cause offense to some people who are firmly Unionist/Protestant, whereas Spanish or English wouldn't. Anyone should be able to understand that.

I'm not 100% convinced there are no implications in Spanish v English .
You'd have to ask Falkland Islanders and those that served there in that war etc.
And Basques.
And Catalonians.
Amongst potentially other triggers potentially.

I agree its a storm in a tea cup created by a totally over zealous minor manager.

[Oggy]

It's N. Ireland. Things are different there. Improving for sure, but still different. A little OTT but no surprise.

[bungeejumper]

Obviously, Irish (referring to a previous post) one might imagine could cause offense to some people who are firmly Unionist/Protestant, whereas Spanish or English wouldn't. Anyone should be able to understand that.

I'm not 100% convinced there are no implications in Spanish v English .

Quite. The Spanish have been in Ireland since the wreckage of the Armada (1588), and the sailors' descendants have been there ever since. The tapas tradition, the flamenco, the rioja festivals and the annual running of the bulls down O'Connell Street have been kept well secret ever since, but you can bet your life there'll be some bigot up north who wants to make an issue of it.

BJ