10 May 2023 , 11:25
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A 'highly offensive' monkey statue has been removed from a café following a complaint from a customer.
An ornamental figure of a clothed monkey, holding out a tray, said to be a business card holder has been removed from Fortes at Foxholes in Exmouth, Devon.
This followed a complaint from a customer as the owners assured that no offence was intended and that they didn’t condone racism of any kind.
The customer, who asked not to be named, said they raised the issue following recent revelations of a pub that hit the headlines over their refusal to remove their offensive dolls.
The customer to the Exmouth café said: "I was recently at Fortes and noticed they have a figurine of a monkey depicted as a human being begging for money. I believe they used it for tips.
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The Fortes at Foxholes in Exmouth (Google)"Given the heightened issue in the pub in the UK displaying golly dolls, and the fact that these types of caricatures are racist towards black people, I asked to speak to the manager about it but they were not there.
"A member of staff seemed to be indifferent about the figurine saying it was just décor. It is highly offensive.
“I am very glad the owners have since decided to remove the figure. It’s really important that we reflect on how welcoming and inclusive our environments are here in the south west to people of all backgrounds.”
Fortes is a popular café along Exmouth seafront and a spokesperson for the establishment said: "We would never endorse the use of any item which may have racist connotations as we take this very seriously.
“The figure of a monkey business card holder was removed as soon as the gentleman mentioned it may cause offence.
"We invite the gentleman to contact us directly for us to apologise further if he wishes and we thank him for his comments."
The White Hart in Grays, Essex, was raided by police who removed the dolls on April 4 after receiving a hate crime report from a member of the public.
Owners then revealed they had put the dolls back on display.
Since then, the pub has shut afters suppliers boycotted it.