Golliwogs landlord 'to have ''racist'' Facebook posts probed by cops'

Landlord at the centre of golliwogs row ‘will have ”racist” Facebook posts probed by police’ – as CAMRA ban his pub from receiving awards or inclusion in their Good Beer Guide

• Essex pub landlord could be probed by police over ‘racist’ social media posts
• Police ‘aware’ of posts made by Chris Ryley, who runs White Hart Inn in Grays
• Mr Ryley, who is currently in Turkey, has strenuously denied being racist
• READ MORE: Golliwogs row pub landlord denies he is racist after backlash

The pub landlord at the centre of a row over displaying golliwog dolls will reportedly be probed by police over ‘racist’ Facebook posts which appear to include jokes about black people being lynched in the US.

The White Hart Inn, in Grays, Essex, was also banned by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) from receiving awards or being included in their Good Beer Guide.

Pub landlord Chris Ryley, in his 60s, has made numerous ‘offensive’ posts on Facebook. In March 2016 he shared a photo of two dolls hanging from the bar, captioning it: ‘We have our golliwogs, yaaay.’

His wife Bernice commented, asking, ‘Are you sure this is legal.lol.xx,’ to which he replied: ‘They used to hang them in Mississippi years ago’. She responded telling him to ‘behave’.

Last week, Mr Ryley and his wife Benice, who are in their 60s, had six Essex Police officers enter their pub and confiscate 20 golliwog dolls displayed on a shelf behind the bar after an anonymous complaint was made against them. 

Pub landlord Chris Ryley (left) and his wife Benice, 62 had six officers enter the pub they run in Grays, Essex and take away 20 golliwogs displayed on a shelf behind the bar after an anonymous complaint was made against them last week

The moment six police officers stormed The White Hart pub and confiscated 20 ‘golliwog’ dolls from behind the bar last Tuesday

They also seized an assortment of golliwog badges and magnets that adorned the bar.

READ MORE: Pub landlord at centre of golliwogs row denies he is racist after facing social media backlash

Other Facebook posts from Mr Ryley also show him posting: ‘Black Chancellors matter’ in October 2022 in a reference to former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng. He has also declared support for ‘White Lives Matter’.

Essex Police has now confirmed they are aware of Facebook posts made by Mr Ryley. It is understood by The Guardian that these posts will be reviewed as part of the force’s investigation.

In another from June 2020, a golliwog is pictured with the caption ‘Sadiq’s new ideas.’

Others include a post asking: ‘When is White History Month please. Anybody know?’ while in another a golliwog is pictured with the caption: ‘Hello Great Britain Am I Allowed Back In?’

In another post from June 2020, a golliwog is pictured with the caption ‘Sadiq’s new ideas.’

Others include a post asking: ‘When is White History Month please. Anybody know?’ while in another a golliwog is pictured with the caption: ‘Hello Great Britain Am I Allowed Back In?’

Following the controversy, CAMRA has banned the White Hart Inn from being considered for future awards or inclusion in the Good Beer Guide as long as they continue to display the ‘discriminatory dolls’.

On Twitter, the organisation said: ‘CAMRA believes pubs should be welcoming and inclusive places and it’s baffling that any pub would choose to discriminate against customers or potential customers by continuing to display offensive material.

‘We have had clear national guidelines in place since 2018 that no pub should be considered for an award if it displays offensive or discriminatory material on the premises, or on social media associated with the pub.

‘We are currently discussing why this guidance was seemingly ignored by our South West Essex branch & instructing them not to consider the White Hart, Grays, Essex, for future awards, or inclusion in our Good Beer Guide, while these discriminatory dolls continue to be on display.’

Mrs Ryley was quizzed by officers after police received an anonymous complaint about the golliwog display at The White Hart Inn in Grays, Essex

Referring to the post from March 2016 of the hanging dolls and his controversial comment, Mr Ryley previously told MailOnline: ‘It was a tongue in cheek remark, but I was just expressing a historical fact. I wasn’t trying to offend anyone.

‘In the 1800s when slaves used to run away in the deep south of America they either beat them or hanged them. My comment was a reference to that. It was not meant to be detrimental to anybody. I was just repeating something that used to happen, you can’t accuse me of being racist for that.’

Referring to his ‘White Lives Matter’ post from June 2020 he said: ‘Everybody was going on about Black Lives Matter and to be honest, I was getting sick of it. Nobody seemed to care about other lives.

‘I don’t care if you’re black, brown or white because to me, all lives matter. That was the point that I was trying to make. And I would like to know when white history month is because we also have a history to celebrate.’

History of the golliwog doll: How the outdated children’s toy became a symbol of bitter controversy 

The issue of whether the dolls are racist or not often sparks fierce debate.

The golliwog was created by Florence Kate Upton in 1895 in her book ‘The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwog’, where it was described as ‘a horrid sight, the blackest gnome’.

After the author created the golliwog, it became a favourite for collectors and was popular in the UK as the mascot of Robertson’s jam.

But by the 1980s, it was increasingly seen as an offensive racist caricature of black people.

Some people hark back to fond childhood memories of the dolls, whereas others argue golliwogs are a racist icon of a bygone age.

Marmalade firm Robertson’s removed its iconic golliwog logo from its preserve jars in 2002 following complaints from campaigners.

In a YouGov poll last year 53 per cent of respondents said they thought selling or displaying golliwogs was ‘acceptable’ compared to 27 per cent who did not.

Asked if it was racist to sell or display a golliwog doll, 63 per cent of respondents said it was not, while 17 per cent did.

Mr Ryley, who is currently in Turkey, where he spends most of his time, earlier this week vehemently denied that he is racist.

He added: ‘I haven’t got a racist bone in my body, anybody who knows me will tell you that. I used to have an Indian business partner and my company trades under the name India Inns. If I was racist, would I do that? I can assure you I’m not racist, I just believe in equality for all races.

‘I have all races and cultures drinking in my pub and I’ve got friends from all kinds of backgrounds. People have looked at my previous posts and taken them out of context. These are uneducated, politically correct people who are just jumping on the bandwagon and want to make a cheap political point at my expense.’

Mr Ryley, who is the licensee of The White Hart pub is due to be questioned by police when he returns from Turkey next month. He is being investigated for a hate crime because of the display of golliwogs in his pub.

He added: ‘I will have a solicitor with me and I’m looking forward to defending my position. The golliwogs are not me being racist, they are a reminder of my childhood. I don’t understand how anybody could be offended by them.’

Mr Ryley admitted that he is not a ‘big fan’ of London mayor Sadiq Khan and that he also believed Kwasi Kwarteng was doing a ‘rotten job.’

He added: ‘I’m not the only one thinking that. Some people claim that because I used a picture of a golliwog alongside a reference to Sadiq Khan, I’m being racist. But that’s ridiculous and it’s their problem, not mine. He’s ruining London and that’s the only point I wanted to make.

‘Kwasi Kwarteng was a terrible chancellor, I think we’d all agree on that. I wasn’t being racist, I just wanted to make it clear that he was doing a rotten job.’

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