A Salvation Army worker who was dismissed after saying migrants should be sent back “on a boat” has spoken out, insisting he is not racist.
Charles Markie, 56, worked on Dundee’s homelessness frontline for nearly 20 years, helping vulnerable people find housing. He said his job has grown increasingly challenging due to the number of places taken by migrants in the city.
Mr. Markie was sacked from the Salvation Army’s Strathmore Lodge hostel, which houses migrants, after telling colleagues: “There wouldn’t be a housing shortage if we weren’t taking in 150 refugees” and “send them all back on a boat.” An employment tribunal later ruled that the Salvation Army’s decision to dismiss him was justified.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Mr. Markie said: “I’m not a racist. One of my colleagues is from South Korea, and another from Turkey. I treat everyone equally. To call me racist is crazy.” He said he has no ties to racist groups or negative views toward people of different cultures.
He defended his comments, explaining they stemmed from concern over Dundee’s housing shortage. “When I first started, most people needing help were from Dundee. Around seven years ago, we started seeing more people from Poland, Africa, and other countries. I had no problem helping them—if we had the housing,” he said.
Dundee has welcomed around 1,000 refugees or migrants over the past five years, including more than 500 Ukrainians between 2022 and 2024. About 250 people from Syria, Iraq, and other conflict zones arrived through resettlement schemes since 2020.
Mr. Markie said: “I’ve supported hundreds of foreign residents over 20 years. My treatment of them was never questioned. The tribunal even stated it didn’t matter to me what nationality someone was.”
He said the dismissal followed frustration over changes to the council’s housing policy, which reduced offers of accommodation for local homeless people. “I was defending someone who needed to stay near family and support networks. Then the conversation turned to 150 Syrian refugees being housed in the city. I said, ‘send them back on boats.’ I stand by my comment—it wasn’t aimed at anyone personally,” he said.
The tribunal heard that colleagues were shocked by his remarks, describing them as aggressive and insensitive. Mr. Markie denied claiming he wanted “the lot of them” deported. He said management used the “boats” comment as an excuse to dismiss him after earlier disagreements about the management team’s absence and lack of support.
Mr. Markie also said the toxic environment at Strathmore Lodge contributed to his dismissal and took a toll on his mental health, leaving him long-term unemployed. “I spent my life savings on the hearing, hoping I’d win, but I lost,” he said.
Salvation Army disciplinary manager Karen Good told the tribunal she believed Mr. Markie’s comment was racist and undermined trust in his ability to work with refugees. Mr. Markie has repeatedly maintained that his comment was an expression of frustration, not prejudice, and that he has always aimed to help those in need.
