Disabled grandfather is sacked by Asda after colleague complained about him sharing an ‘anti-Islamic’ Billy Connolly sketch on his Facebook page
- Brian Leach was let go by the supermarket for ‘breaching its social media policy’
- Mr Leach deleted post and wrote an apology but was sacked this week
- The grandfather had worked at Asda in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for five years
Published: 07:43 EDT, 24 June 2019 | Updated: 10:50 EDT, 24 June 2019
A disabled grandfather has been sacked by Asda for sharing a Billy Connolly sketch about religion on his Facebook page.
Till worker Brian Leach, 54, was let go by the supermarket after seven colleagues complained that the comments in the skit were anti-Islamic.
Following the complaint, he deleted the post from May and wrote an apology to his bosses and colleagues.
But Mr Leach, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was fired for gross misconduct on Wednesday after five years in the job for breaching the company’s social media policy.
Brian Leach was sacked by Asda after sharing a post that quoted Billy Connolly’s sketch poking fun at suicide bombers
Mr Leach was let go by the supermarket after five years in the job when one of his colleagues complained the post was anti-Islamic
Mr Leach announced the sacking on Facebook and said he’d miss his regular customers
Mr Leach announced the sacking on Facebook. He wrote: Unfortunately, I have today been dismissed from Asda. Some of my colleagues took offence to the Billy Connelly, (sic), thoughts on religion, that I posted early May.
WHAT DID THE BILLY CONNOLLY SKETCH SAY?
Brian Leach shared a Facebook post of Billy Connolly quoting from the Scottish comedian’s Religion is Over sketch.
In it, Connolly pokes fun at Christianity and Islam.
The Scot says: ‘Religion is over, lads, it’s f***ing over. Take your Reformation, your Vatican, your f***ing Mecca, and f*** off.
‘Suicide f***ing bombing – now there’s a bright idea. Every time there’s a bang the world is a w***er short. F***ing idiots.’
‘It’s been a pleasure working with my friends and serving the public of Dewsbury and I will miss my regular customers x.
The video referred to in the post was Connolly’s Religion is Over taken from his live stage act a number of years ago.
In the sketch, the comedian rails against religious followers of Christianity and Islam.
It includes the lines: ‘Religion is over, lads, it’s f***ing over. Take your Reformation, your Vatican, your f***ing Mecca, and f*** off.
‘Suicide f***ing bombing – now there’s a bright idea. Every time there’s a bang the world is a w***er short. F***ing idiots.’
Mr Leach, who says he is disabled, said: ‘Asda have a Social Media Policy and I breached the policy [by] having my employer listed [on my Facebook page] and because I have possibly brought the company name into disrepute.
‘I have been fearful of getting a knife in my back because an Asian Colleague kindly took a photo of my profile post of Billy Connolly and attached it to my photo and I have been very scared after it was shared on Instagram.’
Mr Leach shared this photo on Facebook today with the caption: ‘Returning my locker key and company discount cards. Thought I would get a photo for the memories. All you had to do was give me a written warning!’
The video referred to in the post was Connolly’s Religion is Over taken from his live stage act. In it, he pokes fun at suicide bombing
Mr Leach, who suffers with mental health problems, worked as a ‘meeter and greeter’ at Asda
The grandfather, who suffers from epilepsy after a car crash as a child, said he was ‘feeling lost’ without his job.
But he revealed today he would be appealing the decision.
An Asda spokesman said: ‘We would never comment on individual circumstances.
‘However, we do not tolerate any form of discrimination from colleagues or customers and take such behaviour extremely seriously.’
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