No, racist language is never ‘just banter’

This week, professional cricketer Azeem Rafiq revealed that he was regularly called a P*** by a former teammate.

Yet the player accused of using that language initially avoided any disciplinary action as Yorkshire County Cricket Club concluded the incidents were ‘friendly banter’.

They reportedly added: ‘The Panel does not accept that Azeem was offended by (the other player’s) comments, either at the time they were made or subsequently.’

But can it ever be up to an external party to judge whether being called a historically racist term is offensive? And can using racist language ever be dismissed or deemed acceptable because it was just ‘banter’?