A British MP has demanded that the signage written in English and Bengali at a London railway station should only be written in ‘English’. The demand was backed by Elon Musk
Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, shared an image of the Whitechapel Station and wrote on X: “This is London – the station name should be in English, and English only.”
Replying to the tweet, Musk wrote in the comment section: “Yes.”
Why is Bengali signage installed on the station?
In 2022, a Bengali signage was installed at Whitechapel Tube station to pay tribute to the Bangladeshi community that stays in the region.
The area is considered home to the biggest Bangladeshi community in the country.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had welcomed the initiative and wrote on X: “Proud to note that the London Tube Rail has accepted Bengali as a language of signage at Whitechapel Station, signifying the increasing global importance & strength of the 1,000-year old language Bengali. “
Rupert Lowe’s comment triggers a debate online
Rupert Lowe’s demand triggered a debate online with several users disagreeing with him.
One Sameer wrote: “Why only the station name? Let’s only use English everywhere on non-international stations. I mean, UK exited the EU, didn’t it? Why have Euro languages on English station?!”
Another wrote: “Here’s a sign for Gerrard Street in London’s Chinatown. There’s a Cantonese translation. It’s been there for decades? Is that a problem?”
A third social media user said: “This is discrimination.. why one over the other if we have an official administration language, which is English. Either all are listed (impractical) or the main one BRITISH ENGLISH.”
Another said: “I assume you have a problem with English signs in Wales then?”
