The chair of Scotland's heritage agency is being called upon to sack a senior member of its leadership team at the centre of race row in the troubled organisation.
Craig Mearns, Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) operations director, admitting calling French citizens “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” following a probe into his conduct, The National reported today.
The investigation was triggered after Mr Mearns was reported for referring to Indian people at Edinburgh Castle as “chocolates” in July 2024.
Despite admitting to both comments, Mr Mearns kept his £120,000-a-year post at HES.
Revelations about the director and other top managers have engulfed the organisation in scandal in recent weeks.
Chief executive Katerina Brown was suspended earlier this month after taking a leave of absence since June, while another senior leader was disciplined for allegedly twerking on actor Martin Compston at a HES event.
It emerged later today that Ms Brown has now returned to work to sign off its financial accounts.
Sir Mark Jones, the newly appointed chair of the organisation, is currently trying to restore stability to the agency, which receives £70m a year of public money to look after and promote 300 of Scotland's most important historic and environmental heritage sites.
In a message to staff today he revealed the board of the agency is to recruit a new chief operating officer for six months as officials seek to restore stability to the organisation.
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Today Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens MSP, called for Mr Mearns to be sacked.
"These comments are totally inappropriate in any workplace. No senior public servant should keep their job having uttered such outrageous words," she said.
“Staff should not have to work with or for someone who would say these things."
She added: “There isn’t a context where they are ok. As he’s admitted to making these racist and discriminatory remarks, he should be sacked.
“At the moment HES is lurching from one scandal to another. If this organisation is to maintain any level of public confidence then it must take robust action now.”
Scottish Labour culture spokesperson Neil Bibby MSP said the comments were "unacceptable" and raised questions about the culture in HES.
He said culture secretary Angus Robertson should update Parliament on what is going on in th organisation.
“These unacceptable comments raise serious questions about the culture at HES, which have emerged shortly after the suspension of Katerina Brown and allegations concerning other senior staff," Mr Bibby told The Herald.
“It will be for HES to ultimately decide whether it is appropriate for a person to stay in post after they have admitted to making such remarks, but it is clear that such slurs are not acceptable in any workplace.
“With HES receiving millions of pounds from taxpayers, it is incumbent on Culture Secretary Angus Robertson to examine the problems at the organisation and to update Parliament regarding any further developments.”
A source told The National today: “There are a number of French people in HES – including his own staff as there are people of colour – they deserve to know the truth.
“The anger about this situation has not reduced at all – many staff and those from ethnic backgrounds are disgusted and saddened that he has not been removed and that he has the arrogance to stay.
“It is clear he should have been dismissed by the CEO at the time and for some unfathomable reason she chose not to.”
A document seen by The National said that, as well as admitting the “chocolates” comment, Mr Mearns had also “clearly stated that he did say” the comment about French people.
The remark originates in the TV show The Simpsons, where it is used by the Scottish character Groundskeeper Willie when he attempts to teach children French in one episode.
It has passed into common parlance since the episode first aired in 1995, with Nigel Farage once evoking the phrase to refer approvingly to then-French president Jacques Chirac in a 2005 European Parliament debate, saying: “This budget deal is game, set, and match to president Chirac, no cheese-eating surrender monkey he!”
The document said that both terms were “commonly used phrases in the Navy”, where Mearns spent much of his career before moving to HES.
As HES director of operations, Mr Mearns oversees some 800 staff at the government agency.
One employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said last month that news of Mr Mearns’s language had recently begun circulating amongst staff.
They said: “As a proud Scot from an ethnic background, I am very proud to work for HES. To discover that a director is guilty of making racist remarks is astonishing."
Another source told The Herald: "It was an absolutely stupid thing to do. But I don't believe he is racist. I think he has an institutionalised background and he displayed an appalling lack of judgement and it was an appalling thing for him to say."
HES Sir Mark Jones in a statement to staff last week acknowledged "significant issues" around “organisational culture, staff wellbeing and racism” at the heritage agency.
He addressed staff for the first time since taking up the post on September 22 on his return to work after a period of pre-arranged leave.
He said: “Clearly there are significant issues around organisational culture, governance, staff wellbeing and racism that must be addressed.
“The board will be working closely with the executive leadership team and the Scottish Government to tackle these challenges head on over the coming weeks.”
In response to Ms Chapman's intervention, a spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said; “We cannot comment on individual personnel matters. Historic Environment Scotland is committed to maintaining a respectful, inclusive, and safe working environment for all staff and visitors.
" There is no place for racism in HES. We take any concerns raised seriously and have robust policies and procedures in place to ensure they are appropriately addressed."
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