"Insulting" golly badges to face legal challenge?

An example of the "insulting" soccer golly badges

A trade in soccer club and London Olympics "Golly" lapel badges has been condemned as offensive by football clubs, sports authorities and the Black Police Association.

The Golly badges show the names and strips of more than 40 clubs, the England team and even the 2012 Olympics.

Another range of Gollies are styled as Sikhs wearing turbans while others show gay men, police officers and soldiers.

Now it has emerged the the London 2012 Olympics organisation are planning a legal challenge to halt sales of Olympic Gollies and the FA is also considering action.

A spokesman for the London 2012 Olympics said: "The badges are not part of the London 2012 merchandise programme.

"We are investigating this matter and will take action if appropriate."

It is thought that the London Olympics legal action would be under copyright laws against the sale of the Gollies as unlicensed merchandise.

But Roger George of Apollo Badge and Pin said: "We want to keep a long lasting British tradition going. The Golly is a recognisable symbol to many people.

"We are trying to recognise certain groups which the British public hold dear to their hearts. There's no connotation of any disrespect intended.

"I don't accept that the badges are provocative or offensive.

"The Golly has no racial connotations whatsoever as far as I'm concerned. It is only people trying to make something out of nothing that create this debate. It's ridiculous.

"We run a Sikh range, with it we are trying to recognise them as an important part of the community, members of the Sikh community have sent me letters saying they love it.

"I don't think that using this image is ill-conceived, even if some people find it offensive. I don't see what all of the fuss is about. We get a lot of nice letters from happy customers and only a few from complaining kill-joys.

"If particular clubs don't want to get involved in the sale of Gollies then that is their choice. Some have asked us to withdraw the badges but that's more of a question of branding than one of taste or racism."

None of the clubs have officially endorsed the products which are being sold by Apollo Badge and Pin from an address in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

North West soccer clubs Manchester United FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC and Wigan Athletic FC are among those UK sides with Golly figures in their names.

A spokesman for the Football Association said: "The FA has an equality department which has anti-racism teams with people like Robbie Earle.

"We have been working hard to provide opportunities for everybody - this doesn't help.

"We co-founded the Kick It Out campaign and we do not welcome anything that would put these programmes in any jeopardy."

A Manchester United spokesman said: "This is definitely an unauthorised product and we, in no way, condone or wish to be associated with this product."

A spokesman for Liverpool FC said: "This badge has nothing to do with LIverpool FC and we condemn its use."

And Chelsea said they were consulting lawyers with a view to halting the sale of the lapel badges.

A Chelsea spokesman said: "The badges are not official club merchandise and we have contacted the website to ask them to remove the product.

"Chelsea Football Club detests all forms of discrimination and our work in this area has put the club at the forefront of the fight against prejudice and intolerance."

"We are also consulting with our lawyers to see if there is any further legal action we can pursue."

A Black Police Association spokesman said that the golly image is intrinsically insulting to black people.

Vinny Tomlinson, a spokesman for the Mersesyide Black Police Association, said: "Make no mistake, the golly is an insulting depiction of a black person.

"Its origins were a time when there was freedom to say whatever you wanted about black people who were, in effect, second class citizens.

"People say that the dolls remind them of their childhood but it also reminds black people of a time when they were discriminated against.

"In terms of a charge of inciting racial hatred it is a question of intent. If the badges were part of a display intending to offend black people.

"If somebody made a complaint, then it would be up to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide if there was a case to answer. You would have to look at it on a case-by-case basis."

* Additional reporting Kevin Rawlinson

Comments about "Insulting" golly badges to face legal challenge?