Australia to stand firm over 'racist' sign

The Australian government is preparing to flout a demand by the United Nations for it to intervene to remove the word "nigger" from a sign on a sports stadium in Queensland.

The ES Nigger Brown Stand at the stadium in Toowoomba, near Brisbane, was named after the town's first international rugby league player, Edward Stanley Brown, who toured Britain in the 1920s. He was nicknamed Nigger Brown not because he was Aboriginal – in fact, he had fair skin and blond hair – but because he used a brand of shoe polish, Nigger Brown, that was popular in that era.

Aboriginal activists mounted a legal challenge in an attempt to force Toowoomba to change the name, which was given to the stand in 1960. The case was thrown out by the Federal Court, and rejected twice on appeal.

Activists then took their fight to the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which ruled this week that nigger was offensive and insulting and said the sign should be taken down.

The Canberra government has yet to respond formally, but the Attorney General, Daryl Williams, said the matter had already been thoroughly considered by the Australian courts. He added that the committee's views were not binding and said it did not employ rigorous judicial standards.

Stephen Hagan, the driving force behind the activists campaign, hailed the UN's decision as "a huge victory". He said: "It would be appalling to think that this sign can stand the test of time. South Africa and Mississippi have removed all racist public signages. A lot of Aboriginal people experience this derogatory term, and if you can't address issues such as 'nigger', what hope is there for our children in the future?"

Mr Hagan also spearheaded an unsuccessful legal challenge against an Australian brand of cheese called Coon. The cheese was named after the man who developed it in the 1920s, Edward William Coon, and the name has been retained over the years despite its racist connotations.

Nigger Boy Liquorice has, however, disappeared from Australian supermarket shelves.

John McDonald, the chairman of Toowoomba Sportsground Trust, said he would not remove the sign unless compelled to do so. "We're still happy to honour one of the leading citizens of Toowoomba," he said. Peter Beattie, Queensland's Labour premier, also defended the word nigger, saying: "He was called that name in a different time and a different generation."