Why I’ll never accept Neeson’s excuses

Seriously, where is Liam Neeson’s off switch? Reminiscing about a hate- fuelled rage and wanting to kill a random black man, when he was supposed to be promoting his new film.

Well he’s certainly managed to promote a great deal of debate on the ugly reality of racism.

Neeson revealed that discovering a friend had been raped by a black man made him want to take out his anger on a black person, and he stormed the streets with a cosh wanting to kill a “black bastard”.

You could give him the benefit of the doubt. He did this 40 years ago, when racism was part of society, rearing its ugly head in everything from TV shows, jokes and comics to signs in the streets reading: “No blacks, no Irish, no dogs.”

But, I’m sorry, that feeble excuse for pardoning Neeson’s comments does not sit well with me.

When our car was torched by some racist thugs, Mum and Dad didn’t go round to their white nextdoor neighbours and set their car on fire in retaliation.

When our Sikh friends’ poor five-year-old boy was knocked down and killed by a white driver, they didn’t mow down the nearest white child.

My parents had every e reason to want to think that all white pe people were horribly ra racist. They lived through partition brought about because the British were in India and the racism they experienced during the 60s and 70s would have only cemented the stereotype of white people.

But never once did I hear my parents say anything hateful about white people.

Because they knew what it felt like to be the victims of hate. And they never wanted to put anyone else through it.

Which makes me think, why did Neeson, who grew up in Northern Ireland during g The Troubles, and knew what it was like to feel prejudice, feel the need to stereotype and hurt an innocent nnocent black man?

Okay, he has admitted that what he thought hought and did was horrible and awful, adding “but I did learn rn a lesson from it... all this stuff that’s hat’s happening in the world, the violence, is proof of that, t, you know.

But that primal mal need, I understand.”

I’m not sure Neeson has as learned a lesson from his past. I think he is as s ignorant of the he world he lives s in now as he was 40 years ago.

If there is a primal need in us to o want to take revenge – to take it out on innocent people – then it was lost on my y parents and many others because se they knew right from wrong.

We have a conscience and the ability to feel and think and react. We are not animals. nimals.

I used to love ve Liam Neeson but his comments s will stick with me. I won’t be going ng to see his film or any other ones es he makes – if he survives this fallout. allout.

But don’t worry, Liam. I won’t hold it against t all Irish people.