The Standards Committee report – Cllr Shirley Brown’s “Coconut” comment

Report of an investigation under Section 59 of the Local Government Act 2000 by Shahzia Daya appointed by the monitoring officer for Bristol City Council into an allegation concerning Councillor Shirley Brown.

A particular gem from investigator Ms Daya:

My investigation has led me to conclude that the term ‘coconut’ was used by Councillor Brown during a heated and fractious Council meeting. 

The term ‘coconut’ has many meanings.

In the Wikipedia encyclopedia of ethnic slurs, there is a list of terms that are or have been used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or to refer to them in a derogatory (critical or disrespectful), pejorative (disapproving or contemptuous) or insulting manner in the English speaking world. The term coconut is defined as a black person who is trying to be ‘white’ or act ‘white’.

An alternative definition put forward by a number of witnesses that I interviewed was that ‘coconut’ means somebody who has forgotten their roots or is in denial of their heritage.

Having studied the various Statutes and case law, I am of the opinion that the term ‘coconut’ undeniably has a racial element to it and is offensive and insulting.

However, my conclusion is that although the term ‘coconut’ undeniably has a racial element to it, its use in this particular context does not constitute racial abuse. It is, however, an offensive and insulting term. The choice of language was inappropriate.

Seriously? Wikipedia? I mean it’s a great resource if you want detailed information about the characters in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, or all the make-up artists who worked on the Star Wars films but it wouldn’t be my first port of call for an official statutory investigation with legal implications that might lead to criminal charges.