Staff at Reading Station have responded to a viral post on social media that claims all of the train station's staff are "Romanian and speak sub-par English."
The post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was made by Edward Dutton, a British YouTuber known as The Jolly Heretic.
Posting on Wednesday, his message read: "I am at Reading railway station. All the staff are Romanian and speak sub-par English. We need the absolute right, by law, to a native or indistinguishable from native speaker of English for all services."
I am at Reading railway station. All the staff are Romanian and speak sub-par English. We need the absolute right, by law, to a native or indistinguishable from native speaker of English for all services.
— Edward Dutton (@jollyheretic) September 4, 2024
The post has been viewed more than 300,000 times and liked over 5,000 times.
Upon visiting Reading Station yesterday and this morning, this reporter spoke to several staff members who spoke easily understandable English, and several staff reported that they were not Romanian nationals.
A spokesperson for Great Western Railway, which staffs the station's platforms, ticket barriers, and information points, said: "We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer however, all GWR staff need to be able to speak English to pass our recruitment and training process."
Dutton taught at the University of Oulu in Finland but was removed after an investigation into plagiarism.
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