Suella Braverman is reported to have criticised a police force for sending several of its officers to seize racially offensive dolls from an Essex pub.
The officers took 15 of the dolls, which were on display at the White Hart Inn in Grays, while investigating an allegation of “hate crime”.
The dolls, traditionally known as “golli***s”, are based on a Black fictional character that appeared in children’s books in the late 19th century. They became popular in Britain in the 1970s, but these days are regarded as a racist caricature of Black people.
CCTV shows the five police officers, including one trainee, walking into the bar and questioning pub owner Benice Ryley at a table. One officer inspects the bar before gathering the dolls and placing them into a clear evidence bag.
The home secretary is said to have been unhappy about the actions of Essex Police, though the force denies having been contacted about the matter by Ms Braverman.
“The home secretary’s views have now been made very plain to Essex Police, so they’re under no illusions,” a source told the Daily Mail. “Police forces should not be getting involved in this kind of nonsense. It’s about tackling antisocial behaviour, stopping violence against women and girls, attending burglaries, and catching criminals – not seizing dolls.”
A tweet from Essex Police on Monday afternoon said: “ We’re investigating an allegation of a hate crime in Grays. The report was made to us on 24 Feb and we visited a venue off Argent St on 4 April. We’re aware of reports suggesting we have been contacted on this by the Home Secretary. This is not true.”
The decision to display the dolls in the pub has been condemned, as has Ms Braveman’s alleged response.
“Suella Braverman should be prosecuted for using her position as Home Secretary to normalise racism,” Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu said on Twitter. “Golli***s are racist caricatures of Black people and display in a pub is a slap in face. I’ve been called a golli***. It’s not only offensive, it’s objectively racist.”
Good Morning Britain presenter Adil Ray agreed that the dolls were offensive.
“I was called golli*** at school,” he posted. “Just hearing the word frightens me. I can’t think of any good reason why someone on balance might think it’s ok to display them in a pub.”
Author Otto English added: “Why would a white pub landlord keep a display of golli***s and ‘black face’ toys on display – despite being repeatedly asked to take them down?”
And the African, Caribbean and Asian Lawyers For Justice campaign group tweeted: “The fact that golli*** dolls are still being sold and displayed today shows that we still have a long way to go regarding racial equality.
“By perpetuating this harmful relic of the past, we are effectively normalising racism and perpetuating offensive and harmful stereotypes. While displaying golli*** dolls at the White Hart Inn in Grays is offensive, it is not a crime. However, we can choose not to support the establishment and hope they remove them.”
Ms Ryley and her husband Chris, who is currently abroad, displayed their collection of 15 dolls after receiving them as gifts from customers over the years. The couple previously appeared in the media in 2018, after the local council received complaints about the dolls, but they refused to remove them.
Writing on Facebook after the most recent occasion on which the dolls were reported, Mr Ryley said people who thought the toys were offensive were “narrow-minded”.
“These people that call us racist have never ever been to our pub or even been in Essex,” the post said. “Keyboard warriors are the worse people you could wish for. Get a proper job and life.”
He also posted an image of a golli*** with the label “buy Golly”.
A previous post on his profile asked: “When is white history month please? Anybody know.”
“I don’t understand why we have to go through all this again,” Ms Ryley told Thurrock Nub News. “We have the police taking away information that is literally the history of this country. And why?
“We are quite happy to call them dolls, not golli***s, but even the officer who wrote down the inventory as he was taking them away described the larger one as a golli*** and the others as golly dolls.
“It took six officers to come and remove a shelf full of dollies. What a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: “We are investigating an allegation of hate crime in Grays reported to us on 24 February. On Tuesday, 4 April, we attended a location off Argent Street, Grays, and seized several items in connection with our investigation.”
