Racist Comments and Inclusive Training: Scotland's Heritage Body Embroiled in Controversy

A member of staff at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) was required to attend anti-racism training after complaining about the organisation's operations director, Craig Mearns, who referred to visitors to Edinburgh Castle as "chocolates" due to their perceived ethnicity. Mearns admitted to using this language, as well as calling the French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys," and attributed it to common terms used in the Navy during his military career. Despite admitting to using offensive language, Mearns retained his £120,000-per-year role at HES, managing attractions such as Edinburgh Castle.

Key Takeaways:

• A staff member at Historic Environment Scotland was referred to anti-racism training after complaining about the organisation's operations director, Craig Mearns, who used racist language.
• Mearns admitted to calling people "chocolates" and referring to the French as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys," blaming it on common terms used in the Navy.
• Despite admitting to using offensive language, Mearns kept his £120,000-per-year role at HES, which manages attractions such as Edinburgh Castle.
• HES has been mired in controversy, with chief executive Katerina Brown suspended due to an investigation into her conduct.
• Glasgow University cut ties with HES over the row, ending a project about slavery and empire.
• The organisation has also faced criticism for not taking action against another senior manager who allegedly twerked on Martin Compston at a work event and referred to him and Rod Stewart's wife, Penny Lancaster, as "two dumb blondes together."

Statistics:

• £120,000: The annual salary of Craig Mearns, the HES operations director who retained his position despite using racist language.
• Edinburgh Castle: A major attraction managed by Heritage Environment Scotland, where visitors were referred to as "chocolates."
• 2: The number of senior managers involved in the controversy, including Mearns and another manager who allegedly twerked on Martin Compston.

Sources:

• Sunday National: A Scotland-based newspaper that broke the story of Craig Mearns' racist comments.
• The Scotsman: A Scottish newspaper that reported on a separate incident involving a senior HES manager allegedly twerking on Martin Compston.
• Historic Environment Scotland (HES): The heritage body that employs Craig Mearns and has been mired in controversy over his racist language and other incidents.