From Autosport.com

Quote :

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone is facing calls from anti-racism groups for him to resign in the wake of the storm that has erupted over comments he made about Lewis Hamilton.

Ecclestone suggested that insults thrown at Hamilton via websites in the build-up to the Brazilian Grand Prix, as well as earlier this year during testing, were not racially motivated.

"There were a few people in Spain and that was probably beginning as a joke rather than anything abusive," Ecclestone told BBC Radio Five Live.

"I think people look and read into things that are not there. All those things are all a bit of a joke and people are entitled to support who they want. I don't see why people should have been insulted by it."

Those comments have caused a big controversy in Britain - with some leading anti-racism campaigners believing Ecclestone's statements were unacceptable.

Kick It Out, the anti-racism sports pressure group, told The Times: "What Bernie Ecclestone said is shocking and disgraceful. In his position in Formula One, and with the sway that he holds, for him to come out and say this . . . is very worrying and short-sighted.

"You would expect [him] to be protective of someone like Hamilton and use his authority to chastise these supporters. This will upset a lot of people, particularly young mixed-race and black males who are looking up to Hamilton and what he has achieved.

"Fans blacking up in the stands was overt, old-school racism and that is still fresh in the memory. People are entitled to support who they want but that is no reason for racist abuse, which this clearly was."

Former footballer Paul Elliot, who is ambassador for European campaigners Football Against Racism in Europe, was widely quoted in the British press as saying: "The comments are shameful and disgraceful. Lewis Hamilton has made a colossal contribution to the country and the sport, and the sport has a duty of care to protect him and his family.

"Bernie Ecclestone is not fit to be in that environment and he should resign. There has to be zero tolerance. However successful Ecclestone is, it is clear he is out of touch with the 21st century. It is totally out of order, unacceptable and he should move over."

Hamilton also said that there was little humour to be found in the actions of fans who dressed up in black face paint and black wigs - although he had not heard exactly what Ecclestone had said.

"I didn't see it as a joke," he told a press conference for Vodafone. "It's something that happened but it is in the past.

"What's more important to me is that I had a lot of support, especially from UK fans. As long as I have my country behind me it makes me very proud. It makes me very proud to see my fellow countrymen holding up the flag. All the other stuff I need to put behind me. I don't generally keep up with what's being said and I haven't read what Bernie said."

Ecclestone reacted to the controversy his comments had caused by denying he was condoning racist behaviour.

"I was the one who pulled the Grand Prix out of South Africa [after 1985] in support of Nelson Mandela because of bloody apartheid before these people knew anything about racism," he told The Times.

"I said to the promoters in Barcelona, 'Let me go and get the people that blacked their faces up and bring them into the paddock and introduce them to Lewis and then see what they've got to say.' But the police said, 'Don't do it.' I personally was going to get them."

First Max, Now Bernie...

Its a sad fact but racism is always going to around no matter what. Hamilton just has to get used to it and use it, as he likes to say 'I do my talking on the track'.

Did they nick the guys in spain who painted their faces?

Instead of trying to bring down Top Gear, why don't we get the media to try and bring down the Max and Bernie show?

Who's trying to bring down Top Gear?

As for Bernie's comment at the end there, it seems more like he wanted to humiliate the people in blackface rather than do harm to Lewis. It's easy for people like that to yell out at someone from a distance, but put them face to face and they wet themselves.

they want to arrest Clarkson..

i dont care what he said
but i sure like it that theyre thinking of sacking him..

Quote from Scrabby :

they want to arrest Clarkson..

For his comments about truckers (lorrie drivers)? I can understand how some Americans who don't know anything about him (and without a hint of a sense of humour) getting upset over some of the comments he makes, maybe. But to think anyone over in Europe actually takes him seriously is just outrageous.

Quote from Forbin :

For his comments about truckers (lorrie drivers)? I can understand how some Americans who don't know anything about him (and without a hint of a sense of humour) getting upset over some of the comments he makes, maybe. But to think anyone over in Europe actually takes him seriously is just outrageous.

The complaints were from Europeans, mostly the English.

As for the face paint - Were they Hamilton fans celebrating the racial difference, or were they Alonso fans bashing Hamilton for being black? If it's the second, tar and feather them. If it's the first, I fail to see the problem.

What did Bernie say? I haven't even heard of this situation until now.

Earlier article

Quote :

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has played down talk that the sport has racism problems, in the wake of controversy surrounding insults aimed at Lewis Hamilton in the build-up to the Brazilian Grand Prix.

A Spanish website, offering fans the chance to lay a virtual pin down on the track to puncture Hamilton's tyres, was shut down after it gained widespread media coverage for comments made about Hamilton.

But despite the furore surrounding that, and a pre-season incident during testing at Barcelona in Spain, Ecclestone thinks matters have been blown out of proportion.

"It's all nonsense. In Spain people supported Fernando Alonso and in Brazil they supported Felipe Massa," said Ecclestone in a radio interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. "I don't think it has anything to do with racism.

"There were a few people in Spain...and it was probably meant as a joke more than anything abusive. People look and read things into something that is not there.

"People are entitled to support who they want to support. When was he insulted? Do you remember the Ferrari guys that wore the red wigs when they went? People are [just] expressing themselves."

Ecclestone said even he was amazed by the finish to the F1 season in Brazil last weekend, where Hamilton grabbed the fifth spot he needed to clinch the crown at the penultimate corner.

"I'm emotionally detached from most things, but it was one of those things you couldn't believe," said Ecclestone. "It wasn't until the end that you'd realise who had won. You would have been sure Massa had won, but out of the blue came a super surprise.

"It was a pity they couldn't both win but the right guy did in the end. Lewis should have won it last year."

MAGGOT : They were Alonso fans.

Wow whee ... another sports race row due to some bigoted fans (OK, it's not them that put their foot in it). If I was one half of the Bernie and Max show, after those scumbags turned up at the test day RFEA would have been losing at least one their GPs or at least close to it!

Quote from duke_toaster :

MAGGOT : They were Alonso fans.

Wow whee ... another sports race row due to some bigoted fans (OK, it's not them that put their foot in it). If I was one half of the Bernie and Max show, after those scumbags turned up at the test day RFEA would have been losing at least one their GPs or at least close to it!

Imo the Brazil race had no racism involed it was just bad sportsmanship in which any country would be doing if there home driver failed to win by a point.

Brazils Black population is higher then any other race in the country so really it would be irony?

I was referring to the Spanish incident, which were overly racist. I did not spot any racism from the Brazilian fans, however I'm not prepared to say it didn't happen.

Quote from Rdcranno :

Did they nick the guys in spain who painted their faces?

For what exactly?

It's not illegal to be racist. At least it isn't in the UK and as far as I know it isn't anywhere else in the world either. It is illegal however, to incite racial hatred. But having seen what the spectators were doing in Spain I think it would be impossible to hang that accusation on them.

Much as some people would like it to be otherwise, just causing offense to another person is not a criminal offence, (not in the western world at least).

Still doesn't make it acceptable.

I think Spanish hatred for Hamilton would die down a little bit by now, people have to realise that there will always be people like this in the world and the major mojority of people are not like this.

Remember there was only about 4-8 fans that did this remember out of how many F1 fans?

Its not acceptable by no means though.

Quote from gezmoor :

Much as some people would like it to be otherwise, just causing offense to another person is not a criminal offence, (not in the western world at least).

It is actually, the Politically Correct party made that the case. There was a guy somewhere south England who called a Police horse gay and was arrested for it.

You can get a criminal record for being racist towards an ethnic minority in the United Kingdom, and by ethnic minority I mean any race but English.

But the Spanish are renowned for racism, if I run the FIA I'd stop all of their GPs until the Spanish actually do something to stop it. Forget warning them as it is the same in every sport (look at the Olympics), just cut them all, don't allow the Spanish (or any country which has racist fans to this degree) to take part in any sporting events until the racism has stopped.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

There was a guy somewhere south England who called a Police horse gay and was arrested for it.

He was arrested for being drunk and disorderly which, by all accounts (including the accounts by his friends), he was. He slept it off and was released in the morning with a £80 fine, which the CPS decided not to pursue.

It isn't that he said the horse was gay, it's that he followed the cops around shouting at them. It was an overreaction on the part of the cops, but it was nothing to do with the gender preferences of the horse.

I thought it might be a good idea to clear that up. This kind of misinformation could do a lot of harm otherwise.

What the hell is wrong with these people? It's just a skin colour after all.
Besides, the FIA are probably more racist than the Spanish fans

Quote from Scrabby :

they want to arrest Clarkson..

now someone has decoded the morse that the stig was listening to ...

"strictly come dancing is **** "

and

"i like cheese"


not sure how anyone can find the first offensive though if your alergic to dairy products the second is pretty bad

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

You can get a criminal record for being racist towards an ethnic minority in the United Kingdom, and by ethnic minority I mean any race but English.

This just displays more ignorance and highlights why there are so many problems around race.
You seem to imply by your 'tone' that the English are being unfairly treated. This is a common tactic used by race hate propagandists. I'm not suggesting you are one of them, but please think harder!
'English' is a nationality, not a race - there English people of many races, and to try and exactly define an English race is guaranteed to fail - just look at the history of the country.
As far as racism laws only applying to victims of minorities, they don't, however it's possible that they are sometimes applied unfairly. If you are in the white majority and have been the victim of race hate, but have not been taken seriously by the police, I'm sure your local MP will be glad to take up your case.

Some groups get all bent out of shape when they can't convince people that racism occurred when it didn't.

Someone told me an Obama joke, something about having to change the name of the Whitehouse. Another fiend said it was racist, but I couldn't see any race being degraded, defamed or persecuted in the joke. PC is out of hand.

Certainly Eccelstone's comments were not racist in any way.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

But the Spanish are renowned for racism, if I run the FIA I'd stop all of their GPs until the Spanish actually do something to stop it. Forget warning them as it is the same in every sport (look at the Olympics), just cut them all, don't allow the Spanish (or any country which has racist fans to this degree) to take part in any sporting events until the racism has stopped.

The Spanish are the worst of the lot for racism. Not just F1, look at football, week in week out even their own black players receive monkey chants every game.

Quote from Gunn :

Certainly Eccelstone's comments were not racist in any way.

That very much depends:

If the incidents amongst fans were racist then that's serious and he chose to make light of it rather than to tackle the issue head on, that would make him and his comments complicit with racism.

If on the other hand the crowd really were just having some innocent fun and there was no racist intent, then Bernie is in the clear.

The people criticising Bernie believe the the former is true.

His comments were not racist, but they could be percieved as condoning racism. Racist? No. Unwise? In my opinion yes.

Quote from col :

If the incidents amongst fans were racist then that's serious and he chose to make light of it rather than to tackle the issue head on, that would make him and his comments complicit with racism.

No it wouldn't, not ever. But in any case, what is racist about a bunch of Lewis fans making themselves up to look like Lewis? No racism there.