This is London: British MP Objects to ‘Bengali’ Signboard at Local Tube Station, Musk Supports His Views- wna24

London: A British MP has sparked controversy by questioning the presence of bilingual signboards in the city, written in English and Bengali at Whitechapel station. The station, located in East London has Bengali signage due to the large Bangladeshi community residing in the area.  

Conservative politician Rupert Lowe took to X (formerly Twitter), posting a picture of the Whitechapel station sign and wrote, “This is London – the station name should be in English, and English only.”

Billionaire Elon Musk responded to the MP’s post with a “YES”, signaling his agreement with Lowe’s stance.  

Mixed Reactions to the Signboard Debate  

Several users backed Lowe’s argument, with one wrote, “that area of London has many signs in Bengali because the Bangladeshis who live there refuse to try to learn English. Those Bengali signs must be removed.”*

Another called it discriminatory and said, “If there’s an official language, which is English, then either all languages should be listed (which is impractical) or just English should be used.”

However, others defended the Bengali signage, arguing it helps non-English speakers integrate. One user wrote, “If I lived in Spain and someone put English translations alongside Spanish, I wouldn’t have a problem. These translations don’t really bother me.”

Bengali Signs Installed to Honour Community  

The Bengali signage at Whitechapel station was introduced in 2022 as a tribute to the Bangladeshi community’s contribution to East London. The area is home to the largest Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK.