Race murder dad rages at Jim Crow rock
Anti-racist campaigner Neville Lawrence has hit out at a “racist” landmark at a seaside town.
The father of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence said he was “stunned” to see a black-painted rock with a blackpainted face and the words “Jim Crow”.
The rock sits on the seafront in the town of Dunoon, on the Cowal peninsula.
The term “Jim Crow” was a racist term used to describe the laws enforcing segregation in the American south.
Dr Lawrence, who was visiting friends near Dunoon, said: “It’s difficult to accept that such an offensive landmark sits so prominently in an otherwise friendly town. I have been visiting Scotland for 25 years and always found it welcoming.
“Friends in Scotland were always very supportive of my campaign for justice after my son Stephen was murdered.
“However, when I saw this Jim Crow rock freshly painted on the sea-front I was stunned.
“I feel it is right to say that it is offensive and totally out of place today.”
The controversial rock has been there for more than a century, but was only painted in the 1970s.
Fulton McInnes, of the Hunter’s Quay Community Council in Dunoon, said: “The landmark is not offensive. I do not think it is racist.”
Brendan O’Hara, MP for Argyll and Bute, said: “I can’t blame Dr Lawrence for being offended. This rock is a offensive relic of bygone days. It has no place here.”
Councillor Gordon Blair is keen to organise a competition among school pupils to change its appearance.