AN OLD friend of Phil Lynott has spoken about the time the musician stood up to a racist who was shouting abuse at him in Dublin.
The Thin Lizzy frontman, who sadly passed away in 1986, was mixed race, and at times had to face prejudice and racial hatred for the colour of his skin.
His close friend, artist Jim Fitzpatrick who is best-known for creating the iconic red Che Guevara portrait, has revealed that he witnessed Lynott being racially abused twice, "both times by drunken idiots".
Describing the Thin Lizzy rocker as "a proud, black, very patriotic Irishman and one of my best friends", Fitzpatrick said the first time he witnessed Lynott being racially abused it was "destroyed by us all falling about laughing as the guy slipped and fell as we pretended to go for him but we were only throwing shapes", adding "he just wasn't worth it anyway".
Jim Fitzpatrick was present for two racial attacks on his friend, musician Phil Lynott (Getty)"The second time," Fitzpatrick wrote, "was in Solomon Grundy's restaurant by another drunk, downstairs in the loo.
"This time no one laughed- the guy was plain nasty racist and Philip sorted him with a clout while I watched the door."
Fitzpatrick went on to say that he was always proud of the way "everyone, especially the Irish people who loved this man, protected Philip", but voiced his concern that in 2020 there is "organised racism", pointing the finger at Donald Trump for 'emboldening "bigots and racists of the worst kind".
He urged the people of Ireland to continue in the fight for racial equality, referencing the recent referendums on marriage equality and abortion and saying he believes "as with the two other referendums, Ireland can actually show the [world] the way forward and finally outlaw every form of racism and discrimination by a direct vote of the Irish people".
Fitzpatrick went on to congratulate the protesters in the US and the world over "for visibly and vocally demanding an end to racism worldwide".
"Let's all start by standing up to the racists and calling them out when we see any person of colour insulted," he wrote.
"Let them know we have their back always."
