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#836549 by joeyc
31 Jan 2013, 22:04
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9839845 ... pakio.html

Shame if this is true. One has to wonder though, if he changed his name, what else he may have changed.

Wow I am in a suspicious mood today ;)
#836563 by DocRo
01 Feb 2013, 01:37
Best not to comment or acknowledge - I am sure the Daily Mail could add some balance ):
#836571 by joeyc
01 Feb 2013, 02:28
DocRo wrote:Best not to comment or acknowledge - I am sure the Daily Mail could add some balance ):


Ha ha ha, no doubt it will make the headlines tomorrow morning... shall keep an eye on the news stands on the way to work :P

Penny_L wrote:google him, he has been in the news before


Googled and didn't notice anything.. however his story does seem a tad farfetched, clearly a slow news day ii)
#836590 by PaulS
01 Feb 2013, 10:05
This is a common occurrence, and there are some people out there who just go looking for compensation. I would expect like most companies VS are well aware if this and have. Strict rejection criteria which will not be based on names, race or colour but for instance in my company a numerous amount if employers over a short period was one sift method. It's the CVs differed it is quite possible that he phone calls were to get more initial information and I firmly expect VS to successfully defend this action. You only have see the diversety of the cabin crews to see how this reflects on thei equal opportunity policy.
#836596 by JCBR
01 Feb 2013, 11:47
How can he go to an employment tribunal when he has not been employed ?

My partner is Chinese and when we travelled on Cathay Pacific he was noticeably and regularly discriminated against by Chinese crew (which I had heard about but was surprised to witness).
Since changing to VS he has always been treated impeccably by all crew.
#836605 by sky0000547
01 Feb 2013, 13:18
Racism or discrimination is common in the airports too. I experienced this myself in LHR. I expect to be stopped and searched everytime at the gate now.
#836613 by flabound
01 Feb 2013, 13:59
with all due respect sky, not knowing your ethnicity ,its hard to say if it is discrimination or profiling. some people may say they are the same but unfortunatley the police/security have to work on what they deem the balance of probabilities. If you are of Asian/Arabic persuasion them sadly ,in these times , statistically you (not you personally) are more likely to be a security risk than say a white female.

I used to travel with 2 indian guys a short while after 9/11 and invariably they got stopped and I didnt. It wasnt right and used to pee me off but they accepted it as 'part of life'.

here in the US the highest proportion of illegal immigrants are latino, hence they get targeted (if that is the right word) by immigration.

Its the same as it was back in the 70s when the IRA were bombing, an irishman was more likely to be a suspect though they are harder to 'profile' (unless wearing a donkey jacket and wellys ----thats a JOKE) apart from an white Englsih person.

Now is this right - no. BUT at the end of the day surely security has to come first and whenever I am stopped I always make the point that I am fine with it because , as a law abiding citizen, I have nothing to hide.

Im sorry if you do feel discriminated against and it is obvioulsy 100% unjust. But if it saves lives ,can you argue against it.

No offense intended
#836618 by sky0000547
01 Feb 2013, 14:39
If it is indeed profiling then the system is clearly flawed.

Once I went through an x-ray machine at LHR and the machine didn't beep but the security dude insists on giving me a pat down. The person behind me went through the same machine and it didn't beep either but he didn't get a pat down. I told the security dude what I thought exactly.

Strangely I have never had an issue with US airports, go figure.

I'm sure there are plenty of white criminals in jail but surely you can't tar everyone of the same kind with a same brush.
#836620 by Darren Wheeler
01 Feb 2013, 14:48
He's failed to remember a golden rule - 'The internet is forever'.

Any future employer will now Google his name and find all the press reports. In the eyes of many prospective employers, the word "Troublemaker" be seen.

Also, from my dim and distant pass, don't all job applicants at VS have to provide 2 photos (full length and head/shoulders)?
#836629 by slinky09
01 Feb 2013, 16:14
Aren't we all missing something, if this went through any IT enabled HR system at VS it could easily fail. There, issue solved ): .
#836630 by vsa380
01 Feb 2013, 16:20
sky0000547 wrote:If it is indeed profiling then the system is clearly flawed.

Once I went through an x-ray machine at LHR and the machine didn't beep but the security dude insists on giving me a pat down. The person behind me went through the same machine and it didn't beep either but he didn't get a pat down. I told the security dude what I thought exactly.

Strangely I have never had an issue with US airports, go figure.

I'm sure there are plenty of white criminals in jail but surely you can't tar everyone of the same kind with a same brush.


I can understand that you may be feeling targeted. But I'm a White British Male and I'm what is know as a "Selectee" because my names matches someone on a watch list. Every time I fly I go through extra security screening. At Heathrow (like most airports in Europe and North America) they do do random checks on passengers that make it through the scanners just as an extra check. You were unlucky by getting picked but I'm sure it wasn't because of your ethnicity. It happens to everyone, like people have said before, I put up with the extra security I go through when I travel, because I know the selectee program is there for my own benefit and I've got nothing to hide so nothing to worry about. Sorry if you feel like you have been targeted but unfortunately the security we all go through at the airport has become part of modern air travel.

But back to the topic of this thread, I agree with others that it seems this guy have just shot himself in the foot with future employers.
#836634 by PaulS
01 Feb 2013, 16:53
I am called Smith and because of watch lists I have not only faced extra questioning / waiting at immigration and even spent a hour at JFK in the secondary holding area, my wife is of Italian heritage and is dark olive skinned and always get a full pat down and my sister is married to a lovely man BT he is Iranian so you can guess the rest. You don't want t be in the queue behind us at security / immigration. But hey we don't mind because nobody blowing our planes up
#836641 by hiljil
01 Feb 2013, 17:50
I am middle aged, white, British and female. I fly long haul 2 or 3 times a year. I invariable get the extra bag search, hand luggage search, extra pat down. My name is pretty anglo saxon sounding too.
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