Latino is not a race.

Generally, speaking from an American point of view, even though Latinos are called "white" for statistical purposes, they have never been considered "white" even within their own community. It has only been in recent history that Latinos/Hispanic/Mexican etc have been accounted for as "white". So, in popular sentiment, and from a genetic standpoint, it would definitely be considered racist.

He's giving a perfectly reasonable scenario for a rhetorical question and you're splitting hairs about word meanings and definitions.

Its shitty that that was said to you, and whether it was technically racist or not, it was extremely offensive, unprofessional, prejudiced and a complaint would certainly be justified. Someone like that has no business dealing with the public.
I remember once being told by an old man at an airport that I needed to "learn to speak some English"
Wanker.

Would that still be the case for a latino of European descent. Someone like Diego Forlan as an example, would he be non white in peoples minds? That was the kind of scenario I was thinking.

No. He'd be considered white. I'm speaking specifically to the races/cultures that were formed when the conquering Spaniards forced the indigenous people adopt their language and religion.

While it wasn't very clear from the rather convoluted description in the original post I believe that the person who made the remarks was "the public" and that it was the person "dealing with the public" who was the unfortunate recipient of them ...

That's PC-gone-mad UK though isn't it.

Sounds like the definition of racist has expanded to include non-racial differences. Personally I would call it xenophobic.

Racist, no. Offensive, xenophobic, unnecessary - yes.

The guy was a bell-end, no question, but the phrase 'go back where you came from' could just as easily have been said to some local scrotes making trouble (and be perfectly justified in that case!)

Apparently in England you are being racist for calling a Frenchman, French.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/evert...0252-28400787/

Judge Fletcher said: "Sibson’s heckle was offensive and racially aggravated by its reference to Saha’s national origin"

I think it should have been reported as:

But he said prosecutors accepted Sibson pleading guilty to two counts of abusing the F**** player by calling him a “f****** useless lazy F**** b******”.

Where have journalistic standards gone.

True.

One should never let facts get in the way where the race industry is involved.

No but discussing what is true to the human experience is more important than using technical descriptions to dismiss honest discourse. This is a technique used on both sides of the argument whenever it suits their position.

None of those really. I was surprised that people in town see little wrong with the remark. But I have been through a lot of diversity training so perhaps look at it differently. One thing 30 odd years as a police officer taught me, getting annoyed or bewildered by what people say or do would leave you in that state permanently.

My sympathies.

I have been through a lot of telephone training courses, I am sure they were equally useful.