Angry cabbies banned from flying the flag during World Cup
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Cabbies in a Kent city have been banned from flying the
flag for England during the World Cup by killjoy council
officials.
The drivers from Canterbury say they have been threatened with
having their licences suspended if they breach strict rules about
the appearance of their vehicles.
Those is neighbouring Herne Bay are planning to defy the ban,
come what may.
The council claims the ban is for health and safety reasons, but
the taxi drivers suspect it is because of a misguided belief that
it would upset racial minorities.
Cabbie Colin Mitchell recently fell foul of Canterbury City
Council when he tried to fly the flag of St George to celebrate St
George’s Day.
He said: "I was told in no uncertain terms that I would be taken
off the road if I did, which seemed over the top.
"The World Cup only comes around once every four years, so I
would have thought it was a special case.
"We only want to fly a little flag from our aerials or have a
little sticker to show our support."
Fellow driver Malcolm Cooper added: "I would have thought they
could have relaxed the rules for the few weeks of the
tournament.
"But I think there is some anti-racial line behind this and
they’re worried about offending someone. " All cabbies have to have
either a hackney or private hire licence from the city council and
their vehicles must comply with specific requirements, including
displaying taxi signs and having black and white chequered livery
on the sides.
Council licensing chief Roger Vick said the rules governing the
appearance of taxis were in place for health and safety reasons and
nothing to do with offending racial minorities.
He explained: "We simply want them to look like taxis so there
is no confusion for customers.
"During the World Cup there will be a lot of cars with flags and
stickers driving about, but taxi customers need to know that the
vehicle they are getting into is a licensed taxi.
"There was a case in Dover not long ago of a woman who got into
a vehicle she thought was a taxi late at night and ended up being
attacked."
Thursday, May 27 2010
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