Racist director of human rights charity

Last week a group of Chelsea supporters was involved in an allegedly racist incident on the Paris Metro, one of the men, Richard Barklie, 50 years old, from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland was a former police officer and human rights activist.

Since the incident Mr. Barklie has been suspended by the Wave Trauma Centre in Belfast where he helped victims of the Northern Irish troubles. Mr. Barklie is one of the three men whose images were released by Scotland Yard as part of an investigation into a group of supporters who allegedly pushed a black man, Souleymane Sylla, off the train and singed a racist song in Paris, France.

The incident happened before of Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, which ended 1-1.

Mr.Barklie admitted through his lawyer his involvement in the incident that resulted in Souleymane Sylla being unable to enter part of the train. He said he had an account he wanted to provide to the police that would explain the “context and circumstances”.

Mr. Barklie denied singing any racist songs, he said he travelled to the game alone, he insisted he did not know any of the other individuals captured on the video of the incident and said he has never been part of any “group or faction” of Chelsea fans.

The Wave Trauma Centre said it had suspended a part-time worker pending further investigation into the Paris incident. “As this matter is subject an investigation by the Metropolitan Police it would not be appropriate to comments further at this stage” said a spokesman for the charity.

The three men had now been identified and the force was liaising with the French authorities, none of them have been arrested though. A police spokesman said the force cannot arrest people for offences which happen outside the UK but a number of people have now been spoken to in relation to the incident. Five people have so far been suspended from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground following investigations into the incident. The club has reiterated its promise to ban for life anyone proved to have been involved in the altercation and is helping police in the UK and Paris. Jose Mourinho, Chelsea manager, said the club are “appalled” by the racial abuse, adding that owner Roman Abramovich is also “disgusted”.

Meanwhile, police are seeking a gang of men, believed to be Chelsea fans, who were heard shouting racist chants at London St. Pancras station on Wednesday evening.