Government's alleged toleration of anti-white and anti-Portuguese racism may be encouraging some in the black community to be hostile, long-term residents campaigner Robert Pires has claimed.

He said the Progressive Labour Party's failure to condemn either MP Dale Butler's claim that European women are plain and don't wear deodorant, or the bigoted comments towards non-blacks at the long-term residents meetings was leading to a decline in civility in Bermuda.

Mr. Pires said an attack on a female teacher at Bermuda College, which was reported in Saturday's Royal Gazette, may in some way be attributed to the general decline in good manners to people of other races.

The part-time teacher, who is of Portuguese descent, was slapped on the back of the head by a student when she was thrown out of the class for not turning off her music.

Mr, Pires told The Royal Gazette: "There appears to be an erosion of values of decency and respect in this Island. If you had been to those long-term residents meetings, clearly those young white women who spoke up were abused by virtue of their race and the minister (Paula Cox) did not object.

"And then we have a Government MP (Dale Butler) making outrageous comments about women of European descent - for which he later apologised - and Government did not come out and say they did not endorse those statements.

"By virtue of not condemning this, you have to assume they endorse it. It is very important that when racism and bigotry is expressed that if you don't object to it, you are in effect allowing it by virtue of not condemning it.

"In forums sponsored by the Government and in the House of Assembly in comments spoken by an MP, there is a complete lack of consideration and respect for people of a certain race that needs to be addressed in the community and general."

Referring to the attack on the teacher at Bermuda College, he said: "One has to ask whether this comes about as a result of Government MPs making derogatory statements about women of European extraction and maybe members of the community are using these statements of community leaders as a justification for behaviour that is totally unacceptable."