American woman left stunned and hurt by 'abuse' in town PO

[TrueBlueTerrier]

American woman left stunned and hurt by 'abuse' in town Post Office

http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/Am ... 6666305.jp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AN American woman claims that she was subjected to a barrage of "vicious and venomous" verbal abuse from a group of pensioners while she being served in a Portadown post office.

Sheila Graham, who is originally from Virginia Beach on the east coast of the USA but now lives in Portadown, was posting a number of packages at Brownstown Post Office last Monday when she claims she was verbally attacked by five elderly people on the grounds of her nationality.

She says the shocking and distressing incident started when she was being served by one of the post office counter staff.

Sheila recalled how she became aware of a "growing tension and mutterings" behind her.

"I heard a man say something like 'American this or American that' and I got the feeling that he was somehow fuelling the others. Hearing that, I just thought to myself 'Oh they're not happy'. So to lighten the tension I turned round and said, 'This is lovely Christmas music'," said Sheila.

"Then a woman looked at me with a look that could kill - one that said that I had no business being there. You could see the venom coming out of them. It was scary."

Sheila, who has lived in Portadown for the past seven years, said one woman, who looked "more middle-aged", started screaming, telling her that she had "no right to be there".

"I decided to take a stand and defend myself. I have nothing but respect and love for older people and I'm so passionate about that so much so that I've brought my children up to do the same. So I replied that I had every right to be there, that I was a paying customer. I know on Mondays that pensioners usually cash their pensions but I had been in the queue and had let so many people go ahead in front of me. Then the woman just shouted, 'Go back to your own country'.

"Just because it's 'pensioners' day' it doesn't give them the right to act like that," she said.

Sheila, who said that the pensioners acted more like unruly children than grown-ups, then revealed that she left the post office and got into the car where her partner was waiting for her. "I couldn't stop crying. I've since spoken to a few people and I was told that they've experienced something similar. One person told me not to take heed but it was horrible."

The incident became a subject of UK-wide debate across the radio waves after Sheila phoned into the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio5 to discuss the matter.

"Many people who listened were very shocked by it and phoned into the show to say that I was right to stand up for myself," she said. "I'm still not sure why they were so angry. Was it because they had somewhere to go and they were in a hurry or was it just because I was an American?"

Sheila insists that despite her ordeal she would use Brownstown Post Office again "some time in the future".

"The employees have always been good to me and I don't blame them in anyway for what has happened. The staff are very attentive so I would go there again," she said.
Text us your views to 84555, starting your message with PTTEXT and then a space.

[Lounge Lizard]

And there was me all these years thinking Northern Ireland was a beacon of tolerance. How wrong one can be.

[fishtank]

Don't people paint a grand and heroic picture of themselves in these situations?
"There i was minding my own business when suddenly out of nowhere".....

[noggin1969]

She wa

[Straight4ward]

Pensioner Rage!

Be careful, when they get riled they can turn really nasty.

[arnold cheshire]

this happened over 3 weeks ago

[arnold cheshire]

jeremy vine was talking about this on radio 2

[NWpostie]

In my experience Pensioners can make the worst yobs around, they hide behind their age.


I have been to America i found the peopel to be nothing but polite and very helpful, shame this happened to her.


Personally if it was up to me ( not being calm when riled) I would be happy to barge past them on the way out in such a way as to knock them over "accidentally on purpose" and step on any valuable they have.

[Thorby Bislam]

But it's northern Ireland, aint it ? Not to be judged by normal standards.
They hate everybody, especially each other.

[Stormproof]

[NWpostie]

But it's northern Ireland, aint it ? Not to be judged by normal standards.
They hate everybody, especially each other.

That's more true for certain areas, Bigotry are usually in area of deprivation and Council estates, they needed somebody to blame for their situation.

Outside of it I have never come across any negative attitude having been to NI 5 times.

[DGP1]

but I think you have to ask yourself............was she a protestant American or a catholic American Sometimes things happen and are blown out of all proportion but that said, pensioners have lived through the worst of the troubles and tend to be the ones least likely to adopt a more tolerant approach to others

[NWpostie]

I don't think her religion is relevent to them, there are protestants with Irish surnames and Catholics with Scottish surnames, there is no absolutes in NI, never was, the fact she is an outsider is enough for them to pick on her.

While the Catholics are in the majority , there is a lot of Protestants in the republic of Ireland especially round Dublin, some of whom are in Government or Irish civil service, Gardai, religion is now irrelevant in modern Ireland, more so since the scandals of the Nun's treatment of the Magdeline girls, Priests having affairs with their parishioners and Peadophile ring, Religion is no longer in pole position in Modern Ireland.

[DGP1]

I don't think her religion is relevent to them, there are protestants with Irish surnames and Catholics with Scottish surnames, there is no absolutes in NI, never was.

While the Catholics are in the majority , there is a lot of Protestants in the republic of Ireland especially round Dublin, some of whom are in Government or Irish civil service, Gardai, religion is now irrelevant in modern Ireland, more so since the scandals of the Nun's treatment of the Magdeline girls, Priests having affairs with their parishioners and Peadophile ring, Religion is no longer in pole position in Modern Ireland.

OK that was a joke mainly directed to other people from NI, everything is based on protestant or catholic.

[NWpostie]

I prefer Jedi and the Dark arts its called hedging my bets