The Conversation (0)
Kate Plummer
Apr 11, 2023
Suella Braverman says Labour councils failed to stop grooming gangs
content.jwplatform.com
Police seized golliw** dolls from a pub in Essex because people complained about them under hate crime grounds.
It was then said that the home secretary Suella Braverman got involved with reports claiming sources close to her said it was a waste of police resources.
Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter
Here's what you need to know about the story.
What happened?
Five officers from Essex Police took several of some 30 dolls from the White Hart Inn in Grays last week after receiving a hate crime complaint on 24th February.
Police said an investigation was ongoing after a "member of the public reported being distressed" after attending the pub.
No arrests were made.
The owner's husband is set to be questioned when he returns from abroad in May.
The dolls, based on 18th-century minstrels, are now considered to be racist caricatures.
But the pub was not pleased.
Owner Benice Ryley said she "can't see any harm" and that the dolls had been donated over the years by her aunt and the pub's customers.
"No, I don't know how they [people] can find it offensive," she told PA. "If they don't like it, they don't have to come through the door."
Why did Braverman get involved?
A Home Office source told Sky News Suella Braverman regards the feds getting involved as a waste of police resources.
"The Home Secretary's views have now been made very plain to Essex Police so they're under no illusions. Police forces should not be getting involved in this kind of nonsense," they said.
"It's about tackling anti-social behaviour, stopping violence against women and girls, attending burglaries and catching criminals - not seizing dolls."
What have the police said?
In a statement, Essex Police denied the home secretary had been "contacted directly" over the incident.
"We maintain operational independence from the Home Office which ensures that every investigation is carried out without fear or favour" the force said.
How have people reacted to the story?
\u201cThe Home Secretary @SuellaBraverman knows exactly what she's doing, as she scrapes the gutter for racism, turning back the clock to the 1970\u2019s, acting as a cheerleader for the far-right.\nGolliwogs are nothing more than an ugly, nasty racist trope https://t.co/EcSVaaqJsG\u201d— Aamer Anwar\u270a\ud83c\udffe\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08#BlackLivesMatter (@Aamer Anwar\u270a\ud83c\udffe\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08#BlackLivesMatter) 1681201303
\u201cSuella Braverman should be prosecuted for using her position as Home Secretary to normalise racism. Golliwogs are racist caricatures of Black people & display in a pub is a slap in face. I\u2019ve been called a golliwog. \n\nIt\u2019s not only offensive, it\u2019s objectively racist.\u201d— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu) 1681133392
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.