Sainsbury’s and Argos Promote Racial Segregation In The Name Of ‘Inclusion’

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October is Black History Month, which means a flurry of corporate entities signalling their virtue in a curious attempt to convince us they don’t hate black people. The UK’s second largest chain of supermarkets does not appear to be immune from the woke virus given their recent statements.

Sainsbury’s and Argos (which is owned by Sainsbury’s) both posted statements regarding their plans for Black History Month to their websites. In the below section titled ‘What have we been doing to support our colleagues?’, you may notice some areas of concern:

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‘Recently we provided our black colleagues with a safe space to gather in response to The Black Lives Matters [sic] movement’. Of course, by ‘safe space’ for ‘black colleagues’ they simply mean no white people allowed. This is literal racial segregation taking place in a British workplace in 2020.Sainsbury’s are so drunk on their virtue-signalling wokeness that they don’t seem to realise that their ‘solutions’ to race relations are indistinguishable from those of white supremacists. You have to wonder whether they considered separate water fountains at any point during this particular brainstorming session.

The decisions made by Sainsbury’s are deeply patronising and attempt to coddle black people in general. It borderline fetishizes them, seeing them as one voice, one mind—a homogenous group sharing all the same political thoughts—assuming their support for the Black Lives Matter organisation by default. It gets worse when you consider how infantilising it is to assume that black people require a ‘safe space’ from other people.

Also, the admission to an ‘ethnicity pay gap’ raises a few eyebrows too. To pay people less based on their ethnicity is rightly illegal in the UK. I suspect what they intend to do is pull a fast one in the style of the ‘gender pay gap’. Instead of comparing like-for-like roles, they will contrast highest earners with the lowest, regardless of their duties, skillset and contracted hours. This indeed will reveal an ‘ethnicity pay gap’ given Sainsbury’s board is almost exclusively white. Which shouldn’t necessarily be a problem. Unless you are pretending to care about ‘inclusion’ and diversity’ that is. One would think that a sincere commitment to these principles would start at the top. Surely if the board were truly committed to redressing this inequality, the easiest thing to do would be for at least one of them to step aside and be replaced by an ethnic minority? But they won’t, because this is all theatre.

As with all pushback regarding the re-racialisation of our society, the response from Sainsbury’s is predictably misrepresentative of what has irritated the general public:

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A concern with racial segregation and singling out black individuals for patronising special treatment is mischaracterised as an opposition to ‘diversity’ or ‘inclusion’ and we are invited to ‘shop elsewhere’ if we don’t like it. Ok then.

I’ll personally be taking my custom elsewhere if Sainsbury’s/Argos insist on promoting racial segregation—which is the antithesis of ‘inclusion’. I can already hear the cries of “isn’t that cancel culture?”.

Not at all. I’m cancelling my own custom. Others are free to do the same or not. I’m not demanding that Sainsbury’s must cease trading and I will not be attempting to prevent others from shopping there. I won’t be calling for any sackings either. This is a commitment to individual liberty and a desire to take responsibility for one’s own contribution to the spread of toxic race-based identity politics. I simply refuse to participate in it because I am an anti-racist. And being an anti-racist used to mean a furious dislike of segregating people by skin colour and making assumptions based on race.

UPDATE 05th Oct 2020:

Sainsbury’s appear to have clarified their statement on ‘Safe Spaces’ via their twitter feed:

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So, when Sainsbury’s said ‘Recently we provided our black colleagues with a safe space to gather’, they didn’t mean an actual ‘space’ where people could actually ‘gather’, but an ‘online support group’ instead. I can’t help but feel they either upsold their efforts for woke cred, or are now engaging in damage control. Not a single person arguing in support of Sainsbury’s statement on ‘safe spaces for black colleagues’ understood their words to be referring to ‘online’ spaces either.

However, if this is the truth of the matter, I am happy that Sainsbury’s will not be considering physical safe spaces for their Black (or any other) colleagues. Not that they have said they oppose such ideas though.

Online support channels are not uncommon within big business, but the idea of segregating group support forums by skin colour also does not sit right with me. This is a regressive initiative that only serves to divide us amongst racial lines.

Stephen Knight is host of The #GSPodcast. You can listen to The Godless Spellchecker Podcast here, and support it by becoming a patron here.

49 comments

  • Excellent post, thank you. I agree that Segregation is indeed the antithesis of inclusion.

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  • If that isn’t racism then what is?

    • Correct

    • What an absolute disgrace…..this is racism at its best. I don’t know what brainstorming exercise went on at Sainsburys to come up with this idea but it is totally wrong – is it a case of management in their ivory towers not having a clue once again! They certainly won’t be getting my custom anymore.

  • I for one will not shop at Sainsburys again until this nonsense stops.All its doing is driving a wedge between blacks and whites in the community. I will not support this sort of segregation.

    • I will never shop at this racist supermarket or Argos ever again” racism isn’t just about black skin it’s about all colours and I for one will be sending my loyalty card back to head office .

  • BLM marxist organisation backed by millionaires and soros what a bunch of hypocrites and Sainbury’s now attempting to virtue stir up racism by reverse psychology.

  • We have been shopping at my local Sainsbury’s for about 15 years, we will go tomorrow as usual, and ask for a manager to confirm this Apartheid is happening here. If he confirms it, I will ask for the last time when a racist verbal or physical attack has been recorded against one of the really nice guys and girls I have joked with on the tills down the years. I will remind him (or quite possibly inform him) that Black people make up just 3%….yes…three percent of the population of the UK. I will then wish him “goodbye, and good luck, because you will need it” because looking online….they have created a storm of angry……EX customers.

    • yes, I know a black and white married couple, I don’t know how they stand on this, must be very confusing for them

      • No less confusing for them than anyone else. Why more confusing for them because one is black and one is white. Do couples see eye to eye on everything I don’t think so, so one being white and one black is neither here or there. SMH

    • Separate space for blacks? Rosa Parks went through hell to get that abolished in Montgomery, Alabama.
      Apartheid in South Africa. Segregation- abolished eventually.
      Whatever are those at the boardroom thinking? Taking advice from WOKE PR consultants and not talking to their customers.
      If you can find the way, leave the boardroom, go to one of your shops and talk to your staff and customers amongst the fruit and veg. You’ll find that nobody has any interest in BLM/BAME/LGBT left wing political blethering.
      Do what your employees, of whatever ethnic background are good at. Selling groceries!
      Sainsbury’s comment about addressing equal pay for ethnics is so patronising, they don’t even have a pay gap.

  • Incredible but not surprising given how stupid people have become, boycott them simples!

  • Dr Mahmood Nouraldin Mahmood

    What Sainsburys are doing here is emphasising our physical differences, rather than celebrating the fact that we are all members of the same race, the human race. This is how racists behave, they rank people according to their physical appearance. Racism is not the problem- bigotry is.

  • Could only have been thought up by white management to prove their solidarity with diversity. Creating black only areas is absolutely racist, and by telling lifelong customers if they don’t like it, shop elsewhere, is a PR shot in the foot. But it seems their white staff don’t matter during Black History Month, a whole month to do what exactly, Sainsbury’s have lost credibility with many.

    • I can only hoipe thatcustomers of all races and creeds do shop elsewhere and continue to do so. It amazes me that anyone stupid enough to drean up this hare brained idea can be in senior management , I’d not employ them as “clean up in aisle 12 staff” .

  • I’m not sure Sainsbury is literally setting aside physical ‘safe spaces’; surely this is just an expression to illustrate THEIR recognition of what they see as a problem (most of us DON’T) If they actually ARE setting aside rooms / spaces / areas for blacks-only, I trust we’ll see them in court!

  • Long term Sainsbury customer -no more- I have sent them an email to register my disbelief and dismay at their racist attitude,told them I was old enough to remember South Africa and apartheid and will no longer shop at Sainsbury’s, Sadly they seem to say,if you don’t like it -shop elsewhere – so that’s what I will do.

  • Where will this end will there be certain times a day or a day in the week and one at the weekend when only blacks
    Can shop away from white people …

    • Roll on the day when we get a new political party running this country with a strong leader who will change a lot of our laws and get sone normallity and common sense back into our lives!

  • I thik this is utter crap, it promotes racism.
    I will make sure that I go to one of these safe areas, and park myself in there under protest. What are they going to do? Cut my hair short and send me to a war zone? Oh damn, they have already done that.

  • Such a shame that companies like Sainsburys feel they have to act in this way.
    It doesn’t show their CEO in a good light.
    Maybe it’s fake news!

  • We are going to boycott Sainsbury. Anti white racists.been shopping there for 40 years. Goodbye you sick racists.

  • First of al, fire the PR and HR teams that dreamt up abs approved this bizarre policy before they come up with Chinese lives matter…

  • Won’t be shopping at Sainsbury’s or Argos again.

  • I think it is racism against white people. Shame on you for trying to put a wedge between the races. Most ordinary people get on very well with others from different cultures. this is a disgrace. We have been shopping at Sainsbury for 40 plus years, but will not shop there again until this ridiculous ” Black only ” space is dropped.

  • Park your car at the entrance to their car park,blocking the way in.
    Wander in for a while long leisurely chat with the manager about it.
    The long queue may have shortened as people decide to drive to Tesco or Asda,by the time you come out.

  • Christina catton

    Goodbye sainsburys

  • What is this country doing

  • The world has gone crazy. Shame on you Sainsburys. What next different seating areas, transport ,eating out , cinemas etc. I’ve always thought there is one race that is the human race but by you bringing out this I call it disgusting ideas I hope you realise you are causing RACISM. I’ve shopped in both Sainsburys and Argos for many years so has my family. NOT ANY MORE.

  • What a load of B***ox wont be shopping at either no more

  • They are a SHOP not a political party or social engineering organization. So if they care about their customers drop the woke propaganda like supporting blokes in dresses, BLM and the racist Black history month, and stick selling to bread and beans.

  • Sainsburys obviously has incompetent managers , I shall sell my shares

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  • Goodbye Sainsburys and Argos, go woke = go broke!

  • I think Sainsbury’s have just signed their own death warrant ! Racism works both ways ‘ so it’s ok for you Sainsbury’s “ to be racist to the (white ) customers but obviously we the majority don’t count . Thank you Sainsbury’s and Argos you will never have my custom again so I will drop my loyalty !!!! Joke. Card at your customer care counter as no longer want or need . Goodbye you jumped up hypocrites .

  • The statement by Sainsbury’s is really passive aggressive (and passive aggression is such a bad strategy!) . It also suggests that other food chains are not enough inclusive just because they are less vocal about it!

  • Segregation is a forced policy of historically racist societies. It’s not the same.

  • Boycott Argos and Sainsbury’s. Plenty of alternatives and better shopping experiences to be had.

  • if this is true the world as gone totally mad and I will not shop where such blatant racism exists.

  • So their going to put the ‘blacks’ in a safe place? So Sainsburys you’re going to tuck them in a corner out of the way? So the whites can have the rest of the work place without having to mix with blacks. I think your being very racist towards our black friends locking them away repeating history shame on you!!

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