Lenihan under pressure to apologise for ‘kebab’ gaffe

MINISTER for Overseas Development Conor Lenihan is this morning under pressure to meet Gama workers to personally apologise for calling them “kebabs” in the Dáil yesterday.

In a throwaway remark, aimed at Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins, Mr Lenihan interrupted a heated exchange on the sale of Aer Lingus telling Mr Higgins to “stick with the kebabs”.

The ill-conceived remark was immediately seized upon as an insult to Turkish people and a racist slur against Gama workers.