Civil servant faces sack over anti-Israel rant [View All]

[Scurrilous]

Foreign Office worker Rowan Laxton convicted of racially aggravated harassment after outburst in gym

<snip>

"A senior Foreign Office civil servant was today facing the sack after being convicted of racially aggravated harassment.

Rowan Laxton, who heads the South Asia desk, launched an expletive-ridden tirade against Israel and Jews as he worked out at a London gym.

A court was told the 48-year-old shouted: "Fucking Israelis, fucking Jews" as he watched a television news report about the death of a Palestinian farmer.

His fellow gym members Gideon Falter and William Lemaine overheard him and complained to gym staff. Falter claimed he also heard Laxton say: "If I had my way, the fucking international community should be sent in and if the Israelis got in the way, they'd be blown off the fucking earth."

Lemaine said: "No-one really expects to hear those words being uttered and when you do, you take a note of it."

more