Police order shopkeeper to remove golliwogs from window

Daily Mail
May. 06, 2007

A shopkeeper was told by police to remove Golliwogs from her window display - because they were offensive. Moira Pickering, 62, was warned that she risked breaching race hate laws if she failed to take them down.

Recently bereaved widow Moira has been selling the dolls in her shop Stalybridge Reproductions in the town near Manchester for years and said they had never caused offence.

Moira said the action was political correctness gone mad She said: "A woman came in and began taking photos. I thought she was taking a photo of the table and chairs, but then she went outside and started taking more photos.

"The next minute the police were here and said it was an offence to display the gollywog which was sitting in a chair.

"I find sex shops offensive, I find cabbage patch dolls offensive, but I wouldn't report them.

"Golliwogs have been going for years and I've always sold them. They sell very well. People are far too politically correct -they go over the top." Police confirmed they had spoken to Moira after they had received a complaint that she was selling offensive items.

Officers attended the shop and spoke to Moira who said she was not aware the items were deemed offensive.

She was asked to remove the item from the window display which she did and no further action was taken.

Greater Manchester Police said it is an offence under the incitement to commit racial hatred act if she put them back on display and someone made a subsequent complaint.

Mrs Pickering, who has owned her shop for 30 years, said that two women of an ethnic background had reported the incident. She said one was a regular customer.

The gollys are priced at £6 and £4.

She added: "I have sold them for years and its not as though I thought they were racist.

"People are quite upset about racism.

"For somebody like me who is a law abiding citizen this has been very upsetting." Mrs Pickering says she will continue to sell them.

The golly is a rag doll-like character created in the nineteenth century and perceived as a collectors item, but it is also considered by some people to be racist.

Mrs Pickering said she was upset by the police who visited her shop, claiming they had threatened to arrest her if she went outside to talk to the complainant.












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