Richard Barklie, a former RUC officer, says he did not sing racist songs during incident when black man was stopped from boarding train

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A former police officer from Northern Ireland denied on Sunday night that he was racist after being identified as one of the Chelsea fans wanted over the alleged racist abuse of a black man on the Paris Métro.

Richard Barklie, who works in the field of human rights, insisted he did not sing racist songs during the notorious incident before Chelsea’s Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain last week.

His lawyer said Barklie, 50, had won the support of the head of the World Human Rights Forum to back up his client’s assertion that he was not a racist.

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In a statement on behalf of Barklie, solicitor Kevin Winters said Barklie wanted to put on record his “sincerest apologies for the trauma and stress suffered” by the commuter, named as Souleymane S.

The statement added: “We contacted London Metropolitan police today to advise that our client is happy to assist with inquiries.

“Pending formal engagement with police, our client is anxious to put on record his total abhorrence for racism and any activity associated with it.

“As someone who has spent years working with disadvantaged communities in Africa and India, he can point to a CV in human rights work which undermines any suggestion he is racist.

“Mr Barklie is a Chelsea season ticket holder and has travelled to matches for over 20 years now without incident. He travelled alone to the Paris Saint-Germain match and has no knowledge whatsoever of the identities of the other people depicted in recent YouTube video releases. He wants to stress that he was not and never has been part of any group or faction of Chelsea supporters.

“He did not participate in racist chanting and singing and condemns any behaviour supporting that. He accepts he was involved in an incident when a person now known to him as Souleymane S was unable to enter a part of the train.

“He has an account to give to police which will explain the context and circumstances as they prevailed at that particular time.”

Barklie offered an apology to the Parisian salesman whom it appeared Chelsea fans kept off the Métro train.

“He wants to put on record his sincerest apologies for the trauma and stress suffered by Mr Souleymane. He readily acknowledges that any judgment on the integrity of his apology will be kept in abeyance pending the outworkings of the investigation.

“Given the extremely sensitive nature of the issues, we urge upon all media outlets to exercise as much restraint as possible when commenting on the case.

“We accept on behalf of our client that public interest demands nothing but total indignation and condemnation from all media reporting but such reporting ought not to persist at the expense of undermining Mr Barklie’s right to a fair trial.”

His lawyers said the Metropolitan police had confirmed ”that arrangements were in hand to take the investigation to the next stage”.

Earlier on Sunday, a counselling centre for victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles confirmed it had suspended Barklie, a part-time staff member, in connection with the incident involving Chelsea fans in Paris following the allegations in the Irish media. The Wave Trauma centre based in Belfast, which helps victims of violence from all sides of the community, said it would not be making any further comment.

The Guardian spoke to a number of RUC veterans on Sunday who confirmed Barklie as one of the men on the Métro train.

The Chelsea season ticket holder is one of the three men whose images were released by Scotland Yard as part of an investigation into a group of supporters accused of pushing a black man off the train and chanting a racist song.

A Metropolitan police spokesman said the force had spoken to the men and was liaising with the French authorities.

None of the men sought by Scotland Yard has been arrested, as the force cannot detain people over alleged offences outside the UK. If brought to trial in France, the suspects could face a three-year prison sentence and €45,000 (£33,300) fine.

Footage showed Souleymane S attempting to board the train but being pushed back on to the platform amid chants of “we’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it”.

During his RUC career, Barklie served in west Belfast, where he was involved in saving Special Branch informer Sandy Lynch who was being held captive by the IRA.

Barklie, from Carrickfergus, has also worked as an RUC officer in north Belfast and for a while in Derry.

In his new role as a director for the World Human Rights Forum, Barklie took part in a conference in India two years ago where he quoted Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King as part of the ongoing battle against racial intolerance.