“this racism stuff is a one way privelage,when did you hear of a white man claiming racism against him,no never! it would never make the news would it!”

“You people can't hide behind the word banter as if it excuses it. Racism and homophobia are disgusting and every effort should be made to ban them.
COYG”

“Well said Chris. And SensibleGreen, you have just disproved your name. Hilarious, well done.”

“An Irishman turned up at Ascot race course with a horse-box. A stable hand opened it up and said, "There's nothing in there, it's empty." Paddy replied, "Yeah I know. I've brought the non-runners."

Conference league lol”

“Completely agree with 'ArtyJames', and sadly not surprised to read the other comments, decrying 'political correctness' and insisting it was all just harmless banter. People seem to have forgotten that the basic principle behind 'political correctness' is that you cannot just say what you want to/about who you want, regardless of how offensive it might be. And it not for you to decide whether something you say is offensive or 'just banter', because you have no idea how your words make that person or group of people feel - you have no right to decide on their behalf whether they should feel offended or not. Some of you are saying that the footballer in question took it as banter, but you cannot be sure of that, either. He may well have had to put up with this kind of chanting for years, and so just tries to get on with his game. Remember Zidane?? For years, he had to put up with racist chanting from fans and derogatory comments from other players, but just played on and let his football do the talking - he didn't 'look offended'. Then what happened?? In the World Cup final, one racist and derogatory comment too many and he finally snapped. And just look at the number of incidents of racist chanting and comments on Twitter recently - Ameobi at Newcastle, the Oldham player who ended up in tears at Anfield, etc. It is NOT banter, and yes, that DOES include chanting and comments aimed at gypsy/traveller/Romany players. Even if the person the chanting/comments are aimed at ISN'T Romany, gay or whatever, the effect can be the same. Did any of you read Greame Le Saux's comments last week about how having homophobic chanting aimed at him throughout his career affected him, even though he wasn't actually gay?? Some of you need to excuse your chanting and comments as 'just banter' so you can continue justifying your own prejudice and bigotry. And as someone else has said on here, do you really need to sink that low to support your team?? Oh yes, and the argument that somehow it's just 'all part of football' - well, shouting monkey chants and chucking bananas on the pitch used to be 'part of football', but would you do that/justify that now??? Wise up, man up, and grow up. As for Argye - well done on coming down hard on this. Now let's sit back and wait for the oh-so-predictable tirade against my comment, and me being accused of being some kind of bleeding-heart lefty liberal blah blah whatever.”

“No Ivy, but that I reserve the right to be offended in the absence of others (or Others, to go all Lacanian on your a*se). I remain offended by Irish "jokes" even in the absence of my wife.

The only "load of rubbish" here is the (sadly) backward-looking, pre-enlightenment attitudes prevalent in this city. Sad because there is so much potential for Plymouth to be a forward-looking avant-garde city in so many senses of the word.

OK, I'm not rising to the bait any more (you're all joking really aren't you?)

PS - Never had a negative rating before, it's quite exciting...”

“Well, I'm all for anti-homophobic chants. Not certain the Herald expressed what they intended.”

“Arty - so your premise was that the stand was full of "travellers" who would be offended is it ?

What a load of rubbish !”

“Ivy. I was there. I could see and hear how it was meant.

On another occasion I was sitting in a pub with my wife (who is Irish) with a group of people who started telling "Irish" jokes (i.e. the "joke" being that Irish people are stupid). It was meant lightheartedly, as 'banter' perhaps. It didn't prevent my wife from being, quite justifiably, offended and upset by it.

The point I was making was that one person's banter is not necessarily seen that way by another. Even if the player concerned did not take offense, does not mean that others should not either.

I have a friend who knows me well enough that I can make jokes about his homosexuality (and, equally, my heterosexuality), and that I can know that he will take it in the ironical sense in which I mean it. I would not make such jokes in the vicinity of those I do not know so well in case they may be offended.

I guess it comes down to sensitivity. Or is that a masculine enough trait to display on the football terraces?”

“This issue is clearly being commented on by some people who weren't at the match. This particular incident was harmless BANTER, not banter disguised as racism. You had to be there and see the humorous behaviour of the crowd and the reaction of the Tunisian ( not Romany ) player concerned to understand that.”