Asda’s lesson in prejudice

FANCY a meal deal for lunch? Sandwich, juice and a wee bag of discrimination.

Why not head down to Asda and buy one?

The supermarket giant has banned all teenagers from St Paul’s RC Academy in Dundee from its Kirkton store during their lunch break.

Hundreds of schoolkids blacklisted from their local shop on the basis of age and uniform. That’s discrimination 101.

Why is it OK to treat young people this way?

The ban has been implemented after a series of anti-social incidents in recent weeks.

The reports of staff being verbally and physically assaulted by students from the school are shocking.

It’s disgraceful and totally unacceptable behaviour.

If you ask me, the culprits should be identified and dealt with. Like how we deal with adults when they break the law.

If a few white, bald guys with beards started abusing the staff at my local Asda, would the shop ban me? I don’t think so.

If it was a minority of

Muslim men or black women or pensioners, would the supermarket open that can of worms? No.

Because that’s discrimination. And it’s wrong.

So why is it OK to treat younger people that way?

There is nowhere for teenagers to socialise.

Supermarkets, shops, fastfood outlets have been doing it for years – discriminating against teenagers based on their age.

When I was growing up I was baffled by the accusation of loitering, the anti-social act of standing about doing nothing.

It’s nonsense. Loitering while in possession of a hoodie would almost be a police matter.

You would never accuse three grannies of loitering – so why three 15-year-olds?

Grown adults even invented alarms to emit annoying frequencies that would stop young folk from socialising near shops. Very mature.

And where would you prefer they socialised – the pub? The non-existent youth clubs? Your house?

We even discriminate against young people when it comes to their wages.

The minimum wage for someone under 18 is £4.81. If you do the exact same job at 23, you get paid £9.50. Why? To prepare them for a lifetime of terrible pay?

But back to Asda – and the big question really – what is the point in banning all these kids?

Staff safety is the reason obviously.

And the staff should be protected – no-one should go to work fearing they might be assaulted or intimidated.

But what does this discriminatory action by Asda actually solve?

The students responsible aren’t learning any lessons – they’ll just move on to the next shop, or takeaway, and carry on in the same manner.

And they’ll be back when the ban is lifted, or over the summer, unperturbed.

Supermarket bosses, the police and the school need to step up and identify those harassing the staff.

Instead, they’ve just taken the easy way out. The lazy option.

And what about the majority of the kids that haven’t done anything wrong but find themselves banned all the same?

What are they being taught here?

That it doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad – you get punished anyway?

That’s not a great lesson is it.

Schoolchildren have been banned from Asda’s Kirkton store.