A police officer met “said the people of Grenfell were ready to stay in a burning tower”
Leonard T. Koonce
3 min read
Paul Robinson, duty sergeant at Charing Cross Police Station, was reportedly heard saying black people are “fat and don’t think for themselves” during conversation in a pub
Image: AFP / Getty Images)
A detective sergeant reportedly mocked the black residents of Grenfell who died in the blaze because they were too “thick” to come out of the burning tower.
Paul Robinson, a guard sergeant at Charing Cross Police Station, was allegedly overheard making offensive racist comments in the Victoria pub, London, on November 6, 2019.
Robinson faces allegations of misconduct or serious misconduct at a Metropolitan Police disciplinary hearing in Fulham, south west London.
He denied the allegations.
The independent panel heard former Telegraph reporter Edward Klaus, who was sitting next to Robinson and his former colleague, Phil Jones, in the pub, filed a formal complaint after allegedly hearing the “racist remarks”.
During his testimony, Mr Klaus said: “The conversation between two gentlemen (…) drew my attention in particular to the comment about black soccer coaches or the lack of black soccer coaches.
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“The comment was made by Mr. Robinson that there were so few black soccer coaches because they were lazy and thick.
“Remarks were made by Mr. Robinson about Africa and Africans being better off under colonial rule than under independence.
“He said they were better off under colonial rule and that since the end of colonial rule under Mugabe … things have been much worse and full of famine and poverty now.
“Basically, ‘Look at it now, it’s like ** everything.'”
Turning to the comments on Grenfell, Mr Klaus continued: “The remarks were introduced by the subject of Jacob Rees-Mogg who had commented on what had happened at Grenfell and Mr Robinson had been generally pleasant in saying : “I’m happy, someone had to say it, I agree with him, you are thick if you stay ‘.”
Rees-Mogg had sparked controversy when discussing the Grenfell Tower fire on LBC radio.
The politician said: “And I think if any of us were on fire, whatever the firefighters say, we would leave the burning building.
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“It seems like a common sense thing to do. “
Mr Klaus told the panel: “Mr Robinson agreed with the comments and was glad someone said them.
“If it had been Asians they would have left, if it had been White they would have been gone.
“He then said the ‘threes’ were thick and didn’t think for themselves and it was hilarious, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s comments. They thought it was funny.”
The former Telegraph reporter explained that Robinson’s repeated use of the term “three” caught his attention, as he recognized it as a police classification for a black person.
He added that it was this term that made him believe the two men were police officers, as well as a discussion of the police pension plan.
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“I wanted to tell them that what they were saying was disgusting and extremely offensive,” Klaus continued.
“I pretended to be on the phone and got up to leave… and took a picture while I was there.”
The witness did not confront Robinson and Mr Jones but made a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police that evening.
Robinson has denied making offensive racist comments.
The hearing continues.
