Angry locals take to the streets...after woke brigade tries to cancel their PUB
IT has been at the heart of their historic town since the 17th Century and yesterday protesters mounted a demonstration outside a popular pub which has become the latest victim of ‘cancel culture’.
Pub giant Greene King wants to rebrand The Black Bitch – a fixture in Linlithgow, West Lothian, since the 1600s – as The Black Hound amid accusations the name carries racial connotations.
But protesters – including more than 8,000 people who have signed an online petition – say the pub got its name from a local legend about a man sentenced to die of starvation who was kept alive by his dog, who brought him food every day.
Last week, the row over the move to scrap the name even reached the House of Commons when Linlithgow MP Martyn Day tabled an Early Day Motion.
Many residents, who are proudly known as Black Bitches and whose town emblem carries an image of a black dog against an oak tree, have threatened to boycott the establishment if the plan by the Suffolk-based brewery company goes ahead.
Dozens of locals protested outside the pub, which the owners say should be renamed as part of their ‘commitment to being an antiracist organisation’.
Protest organiser Alistair Old said: ‘If we don’t fight this, it’s the thin end of the wedge. They’ll start going to the
Black Bitch statue in the town and tell us that’s offensive and they’ll use the change of name on the pub as ammunition.
‘They say it implies racist intent and that’s not the case. The black bitch is on the building. You couldn’t be more clear what it’s about – a black female dog.’
He said the only people the brewers had consulted about the name change were 15 members of West Lothian Community Race Forum, who said the name was offensive.
But he hoped a compromise could still be reached, adding: ‘They say it’s not inclusive but they’ve not spoken to anybody in the town.
‘How can you be inclusive if you completely ignore everyone in the town the pub is in?
‘We’ve proved it’s not racist.’ Mr Day, a Nationalist MP, last week lodged a bid for the name change to be debated in Parliament. He said: ‘Without context, the term “Black Bitch” could easily be misunderstood as racist or misogynistic. However, that is simply not the case with the name of this pub. It represents several hundred years of historical context and folklore, and it would be a mistake for Greene King to proceed.’
Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie said: ‘We are well aware
‘Centuries of historical context and folklore’
of where the name originates and so we are choosing a new name that still reflects the pub’s history.
‘As part of our commitment to being an anti-racist organisation, we want our pub names to be inclusive and that means taking action when there is a need to make positive change.’
West Lothian Race Forum chairman Abel Aboh welcomed the decision, saying: ‘The name is not inclusive and I will never forget the way I felt the first time I saw that pub. The name is offensive.’