Four-Letter fury of the EU lackey

The Daily Mail, 14th April 2005

A BRUSSELS official sent an abusive e-mail to British anti-metric campaigners calling them ‘ a bunch of f****** luddites’ and telling them to move to New Zealand.

John Jones, a Briton working for the EU Commission as a translator, sent the offensive and ungrammatical message to the Metric Martyrs website last month.

The ‘martyrs’ were four traders who defied EU laws banning them from selling goods in pounds and ounces. They argued in the European Court of Human Rights that being barred from using imperial measures was an infringement of their right to free speech but the case was ruled inadmissible. Their supporters continue to campaign against metrification laws.

Using his Commission e-mail address, Mr Jones wrote: “Youre a bunch of f****** luddites. Metric has to win cos that’s what we learnt at school. Long live England. Long Live Metric. The imperialists are dead in the water. Ps: what in hell are you actually defending? Look at great countries like australia and new zealand if you can’t stand Europe. You luddites in england make me sick.’

He continued his abuse in an exchange of e-mails with Neil Herron, of the Metric Martyrs Defence Fund, who made an official complaint.Last night, it appeared that Mr Jones would not be sacked or severely reprimanded.

An EU spokesman said he had promised to make a personal apology. But Mr Jones accused Mr Herron of ‘trying to stir things up’ and claimed his superior had already sent an apology.