Playing the race card

I HAVE every sympathy with the Tory councillor who was called a ‘white idiot’ for asking a woman to take her muddy feet off his train seat (Mail).

I was called ‘an old white woman’ for asking a passenger to take her muddy feet off my bus seat. Even though she seemed to be speaking English on her mobile phone, she did not seem to understand when I complained, so I asked what country she came from.

At this she jumped to her feet and shouted: ‘Driver, call the police — there has been a racial incident. I am from Shepherd’s Bush!’ The driver had to stop the bus in the middle of heavy traffic to see what racial incident had occurred. Finding there had been none, he drove on.

I changed seat and other passengers were sympathetic, whispering their support. Everyone had heard my request for the passenger to take her feet off the seat and agreed with it, but no one wanted to speak out.

Why did the people in both these incidents play the racial card? Just as troubling, have we lost our privilege of free speech?

A. LEONARD, London SW1.