Muammar Al Khadafi

Jobsworth PC council staff in Oldham refused to allow a woman to breastfeed her baby - because it was a 'multicultural building' and 'might upset Muslims'

32 year old Emma Mitchell was at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Oldham Civic Centre when she attempted to feed 19 week old son Aaron, only to be told that she could not do so, and that there were no facilities available.

A manager then told her that she should use the toilets in a nearby shopping centre.

A receptionist informed her that they'd had "many complaints", and another official told her that she had "caused an uproar".

At the time there were many Asians in the waiting room, and Mrs Mitchells friend Michelle Booth, who witnessed the incident, said that "The staff were implying breastfeeding was offensive to Muslim sensibilities.....It’s political correctness gone mad when they’re worried about offending people of other cultures over something so natural".

Several sources quote Labour councillor Shoab Akhtar as saying that the offices were "not suitable" for breastfeeding, and that "There is no requirement to provide such facilities at Access Oldham".

Since then he seems to have backtracked though, with other sources quoting him with saying "We fully support the right of mothers to breastfeed their children" and "Staff will be trained in the coming days to ensure this never happens again...Staff should make every reasonable effort to assist a mother’s need to breastfeed, whether she requests the use of a private room or otherwise".

Perhaps he realized that breastfeeding is covered under the Sex Discrimination Act in between comments.

"If someone from another culture started praying in the waiting room, I wouldn't say "You're offending me", I would respect it, it's their culture....I shouldn't be made to feel what I wanted to do was wrong because it's not in their culture" said Mrs Mitchell after her humiliating experience.

Offence and cultural sensitivity only cut one way, a fact which the British people are fast waking up to. Our feelings and sensitivities don't matter, it is only us who have to be tolerant of others, and who have to change ourselves to suit them.