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 grovelling apology but was sacked this week
- The grandfather had worked at Asda in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for five years
A disabled grandfather has been sacked by Asda for sharing a Billy Connolly sketch about religion on his Facebook page.
Brian Leach was let go by the supermarket after a colleague complained that the comments in the skit were anti-Islamic.
Following the complaint, he deleted the post from May and wrote a grovelling apology to his bosses and colleagues.
But Mr Leach, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was fired on Wednesday after five years in the job for breaching the company’s social media policy.
Brian 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!’
Mr Leach was let go by Asda after he shared a Billy Connolly skit about religion. One of his colleagues complained the video was anti-Islamic
Mr Leach announced the sacking on Facebook. He’d been working at the supermarket in Dewsbury for five years
Mr Leach, who worked as a ‘meeter and greeter’ at the town’s Asda, 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.
‘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.
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
‘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.’
The grandfather said he was ‘feeling lost’ without his job.
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.’