I AM responding to the letter regarding 'racist remarks' in last week's Okehampton Times and the comments made to a West Devon Afro-Caribbean resident; namely being referred to as a 'monkey'.

These kind of remarks are heartless, unnecessary, contemptible and totally unacceptable.

One of my very dearest and closest friends is of Asian origin and is a law-abiding citizen of West Devon. She is the kindest, warmest, most highly intelligent, articulate and superb mother and I am privileged to have her as a close friend.

None of these outstanding qualities can be attributed to the colour of her skin or where she was born. These traits of character are derived from the mere fact that she is a human-being demonstrating all the finer sides of our species.

The sooner some adults realise that all 'people' deserve equal rights and respect, the sooner our children will grow up in a non-racist society.

I sincerely hope the person who subjected the unfortunate family to such blatant and cruel mockery reads this letter and scuttles off to take a long look in the mirror. If that person has real courage, then a public apology in this paper should be issued.

Now, that really would be a 'show of true colours'.

Person views of

Lynne Spencer,

a resident of Cornwall

PERHAPS the lady (?) in Okehampton who called a black person a monkey would like to think again.

This comment shows just how ignorant some people are. There are many black people living in Britain; they were born here and are British, they have as much right as you or I to be here.

Perhaps their great grandparents didn't have a choice, maybe they were transported to the country for white greed, during the slave trade, or tempted to Britain in the 50s by our government?

What I would like to point out to this lady (?) is that monkeys do not go to work, pay taxes or play an important role in our local community, which the black man she referred to as a monkey does.

Maybe she would like to keep her uneducated, mindless racism to herself, she may need this person's help one day, but will she deserve it, after all what help could a monkey be?

A Summerfield

South Zeal