When John Terry was found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand on the football field last week many people thought that the media interest in the story would die down particularly once the FA had concluded its own disciplinary proceedings that had been put on hold pending the conclusion of the court case. However when Anton's brother Rio Ferdinand responded positively to a comment made on twitter by someone calling Ashley Cole a "choc-ice" for appearing as a witness in support of Terry, the media fires were stoked up again.
Ferdinand has denied that he was being racist in his response to the comment. He said that it was being used as a term used to describe someone as a fake. It is however from many people's point of view, my own included, a label that does have racial connotations. I must admit that I have never heard the words choc-ice used in that context before; however it is similar to the term "coconut" which has been used to describe black or asians as being disloyal to their race.
In the past there have been cases which have involved the term coconut being used as an insult. In June 2010 a Bristol City Councillor was convicted of racial harassment when she called a political opponent a coconut. An article by Dilnuci Onuzo in the Guardian describes a case in which a client of hers was convicted of the same offence that Terry was charged with because he called another black man a coconut.
The police have now confirmed that they are investigating the comment made on twitter about Cole and the person who made it could face prosecution. Whether or not you agree with Rio Ferdinand that the use of the term is not racist, it is clear is that if you make such comments you may find yourself in a lot of trouble.
