Thank you for being ‘normal, civilised & white’

The deputy mayor of Euro 2012 host city Gdansk in northern Poland described the city’s residents as “normal civilised white people” in a radio broadcast Tuesday before apologising in a local newspaper.

The deputy mayor of Euro 2012 host city Gdansk in northern Poland described the city’s residents as “normal civilised white people” in a radio broadcast Tuesday before apologising in a local newspaper.

“I thank residents and city employees for behaving like normal civilised white people toward our guests who have in turn also behaved like normal white people,” Andrzej Bojanowski, 40, said in the radio interview. Bojanowski promptly followed up the controversial statement with an apology in the local edition of the liberal-minded Gazeta Wyborcza daily.

An official from the Polish anti-racism Foundation for Freedom said this was “an example of the extent to which stereotypes and xenophobia are rooted in the mentality and language” of Poland.

UEFA probing Balotelli claims UEFA on Tuesday said that it was investigating claims Italy striker Mario Balotelli was racially abused during the Group C match against Spain.

“Following the provision of new independent information Tuesday regarding the two cases of alleged racist chanting in the Spain-Italy and Russia-Czech Republic matches, UEFA is now conducting further investigations,” it said in a statement. “There are, however, no disciplinary proceedings open at this moment in time.” Balotelli, 21, has said that he would walk off the pitch if he were racially abused.