A senior barrister who tweeted that The Equality Act “undermines school discipline by empowering the stroppy teenager of colour” has been condemned by the legal community, including his own chambers.
Cornerstone Barristers‘ Jon Holbrook made the tweet from his personal Twitter account earlier this month, and has not deleted it at the time of publication, despite his chambers asking him to do so on two occasions.
According to The Law Gazette:
‘In a statement published at the weekend, the chambers said it is undertaking an ‘urgent investigation into the matter’ and said Holbrook has been asked to delete the tweet immediately. The tweet had not been deleted at the time of writing.
Holbrook posted the comment on 17 January in response to a video from the Equality and Human Rights Commission telling the story of a black girl who was sent home from school because her Afro-style hair breached its uniform policy.
Cornerstone Barristers said: ‘We unequivocally condemn discrimination in all of its forms and are proud of our record as a diverse chambers which promotes social mobility at the bar. We are fully committed to equality, diversity and tolerance.’
Holbrook’s tweet was widely condemned by the profession. Criminal and family law barrister Alexandra Wilson said she was ‘embarrassed to be in the same profession as someone like this’. It is understood that Holbrook has been reported to the Bar Standards Board.’
This is another example of white middle class people deciding they know best and attacking anyone who criticises them under the deprivation of free speech banner. Instead of articulating his concerns in a non racist way the fault lies (in his head) with those who point it out.
Douglas James
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