Stonewall CEO Criticises Kent’s First Youth Police Commissioner, over Homophobic and Racist Tweets and calls for her resignation.
UPDATED: 8th April 2013
The Chief Executive of Britain’s leading lesbian, gay and bisexual charity – Stonewall, has taken to Twitter to publicly demand for the resignation of Paris Brown, the UK’s first Youth Police Commissioner after the Mail On Sunday reported that she had used the microblogging and social network – Twitter, to write racist, homophobic and drug-related tweets.
Writing to @Youthpcc (Paris Brown’s official work Twitter account) Ben Summerskill OBE, wrote a number of tweets which said:
‘Hi @youthpcc You say tweet me your issues. Our issues are that you are homophobic and young gay people in Kent are the victims of that.’
He also tweeted to Ms. Brown’s boss Ann Barnes, ‘Hi @AnnBarnesKPCC Given revolting things said by your @youthpcc and way they undermine work of @Kent_police could you pls contact us BW Ben’
Betty Gudrun replied to Mr. Summerskill’s tweet: she has apologised for her language. It isn’t acceptable but what else can she do at the moment?’
To which he replied: ‘Resign. BW. Ben’
Ms. Brown,17, from Sheerness in Kent, was appointed Youth Police Commissioner by the county’s assistant chief constable, who hoped the appointment would bring a ‘mutual respect’ between the young people of Kent and the Police.
In a statement Ms. Barnes said,
‘I absolutely do not condone the content and language of Paris’ tweets. I suspect that many young people go through a phase during which they make silly, often offensive comments and show off on Facebook and Twitter. I think that if everyone’s future was determined by what they wrote on social networking sites between the ages of 14 and 16 we’d live in a very odd world.
She went on to suggest that thousands of parents would be ‘surprised, shocked and ashamed’ by looking into their children’s social networks.
Paris Brown, has released a public statement on her tweets saying,
‘I deeply apologise for any offence caused by my use of inappropriate language and for any inference of inappropriate views. I am not homophobic, racist or violent and am against the taking of drugs. If I’m guilty of anything it’s showing off and wildly exaggerating on Twitter and I am very ashamed of myself, but I can’t imagine that I’m the only teenager to have done this.’
