Saracens Head pubs rally around boss taken to court by terrorist

Pub bosses and punters working at Saracens Head pubs across the UK have rallied around a landlord who is being taken to court by a convicted terrorist because he is 'deeply offended' by the name.

Khalid Baqa, who was jailed for four years for preparing Jihadi propaganda, has sparked outrage by trying to win nearly £2,000 from the Saracens Head Inn in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

He described the 'depiction of a bearded Arab/Turk' on the pub's sign as racist and also insisted the depiction 'incites violence'.

Baqa is demanding £1,850 from the landlord and has also announced plans to take on more than 30 other pubs with the same name if successful. 

Pub landlord Robbie Hayes has vowed to fight back against the lawsuit - and he is being backed by other Saracens Head establishments across the UK. 

Staff at pubs with identical names told MailOnline they were stunned by the demand for money and Baqa's claim that he is offended by the name.

One told us that he 'has got a bloody cheek and should be told where to go', while another said: 'I'm not sure what rights he has as a convicted terrorist.'

Baqa told The Sun that he has 'stopped all the terrorism stuff now', adding: 'I've always been offended by pub names like these but I've only recently discovered how I can challenge them online.' 

Reacting to the lawsuit, Caroline Machell-Ranson, who is head chef at the Saracens Head in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, said: 'This is just ridiculous and is crazy that he is offended by the name. 

'This pub has been here since the 16th century and everyone in the village knows about it, and there have never been any complaints. 

'This is a just a village pub that has been here since 1615, and although I do not know when it was called The Saracens Head,  the name should stay.'

The pub features a Saracen brandishing a sword and is prominent outside the venue on the main road through the Hertfordshire village.

Inside one corner of the pub with its oak beams and low ceilings is a fireplace are half a dozen ornaments featuring a Saracens head.

Other staff at the pub, who asked not to be named, said it was 'madness' for the convicted Jihadi to demand the name be changed.

'You cannot whitewash history. The name has been around for hundreds of years and it is what it is,' said one worker.

Another added: 'This man needs to get a life. What makes it worse is that he is a convicted terrorist.'

MailOnline visited another Saracens Head pub in Towcester, near Northampton, where punters were equally offended by Baqa and his demands.

'I think he has got a bloody cheek and should be told where to go,' said one local.

'What's next? Will a pub called The White Lion be sued because someone is afraid of animals or because it has the word white in the name.

'There are so many pubs with a rich history that you could question their name. It is utterly ridiculous.'

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And speaking about Baqa, Ian Frith said: 'To be honest I am offended by his orange beard. 

'Even if the Saracens Head was called The Jihadi Arms it would not bother me.

'There is so much these days that offends people and for no good reason that you become afraid to say anything.

'I've never heard anyone complain about the name and have lived here for 20 years. It's a local pub and people like it.'

David Morgan, who sat inside the pub nursing a pint, added: 'There are much more important things to worry about than a name.

'I guess this guy is just trying his luck to try and get some money. The name should stay and the pub should not back down.'

Lynn Suter said: 'The name doesn't offend me, and I think it is awful that he is trying to get money from the landlord.'

Others in Towcester shared the outrage that the Saracens Head might face legal action from a convicted terrorist.

MailOnline also visited the Saracens Head in Bath, which had the same pub sign as the landlord being sued.

Angry punters reacted similarly to the terrorist's decision to launch legal action over the name of the historic pub.

Sally Wiltshire, 63, said: 'It is ridiculous. It has been here my entire life. It is not offensive - it is just a name.

'For me, I'm a white British, I find it weird why they want to obliterate history. They are just trying to get rid of history. '

Izzy Blackburn, 55, added: 'It is utterly ridiculous. It shouldn't have gone this far. I'm not sure what rights he has as a convicted terrorist.

'You can be offended by anything can you.'

Huh Withly, 62, from Ynysybwl, echoed their thoughts, telling MailOnline: 'It is just a symbol of the pub.

'I don't think it is offensive at all.'

And Gordon Jones, 48, said: 'Where do you draw the line if it has been there for 500 years. It is a bit of history.

'Then you'd have to change the name of the pub as well.'

A 40-year-old man, who did not want to be named, said: 'I'm a white British middle-class man - in my view is fine but I can see why that would be offensive.

'What do we know about oppression from a local's point of view? If the depiction was of a headless person I would see it.

'But I'm not aware of the culture impact it [the sign] has.'

It comes after the landlord being sued, Robbie Hayes, told The Sun he would be fighting back against the lawsuit which he said was a 'complete joke'.

'This has been called The Saracens Head for 500 years,' he said.

'He's just chancing his hand. Of course it worries me - you never know with people like this.'

The 52-year-old added that none of his pubgoers are racist and that he did not believe the sign or the name were racist but instead were 'simply historic'.

Baqa has filed a 'claim of money' form an application to county court for a sum of cash a person believes they are owed.

His application was previously referred to a small claims court.

In a submission explaining the reason behind his claim, Baqa said the sign - which depicts a brown-skinned man of Arab or Turkish descent - 'instilled worry and fear in me since it was clearly xenophobic, racist and inciting violence to certain people.'

He goes on to claim to have contacted the pub four times and even visited the public house in person. However staff at the Saracens Head Inn have no record.

In 2018, Baqa was jailed for four years and eight months after admitting five counts of dissemination of Terrorist publications.

Baqa claimed to have always been offended by pub names like the Buckinghamshire pub.

Saracen was a term used until the 5th century to refer to Arabs and and then also Muslims years later.

It is among the most popular name for a pub in the UK alongside titles such as the Red Lion.

Despite the name harking back to the time of the crusades, this pub was only built in 1530.

The British pubs that have been cancelled from the Black Boy to The Midget as convicted terrorist sues Saracen's Head Inn over 'offensive' name

By Eleanor Dye and Tom Midlane 

British pubs are renowned for their weird and wonderful names - from the Drunken Duck to the Cat Custard Pot. 

But sometimes pub names that have existed for generations, or even centuries, can cause controversy - leaving owners at the centre of social media storms, petitions or targeted campaigns of abuse.   

The Saracen's Head Inn in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, hit the headlines this week with convicted terrorist Khalid Baqa taking the pub to court over its sign depicting a brown-skinned man of Arab or Turkish descent.

Mr Baqa says that the sign 'instilled worry and fear in me since it was clearly xenophobic, racist and inciting violence to certain people.'

Having previously spent four years behind bars for preparing Jihadi propaganda, he now wants more than £1,000 from the Saracen's Head. 

The pub's landlord Robbie Hayes is refusing to change the name, telling The Sun: 'It's a complete joke. This has been called The Saracen's Head for 500 years' 

But the Saracen's Head is far from the only British pub to run into trouble over its unusual name.

The following are only a few of the drinking spots that people have attempted to cancel or that were forced to change their name. 

The Midget 

Only last week The Midget pub in Abingdon reopened its doors as the Roaring Raindrop after a swirl of controversy around its name.

Owners Greene King say the watering hole, which opened as 'The Magic Midget' in 1974, took its original name from the classic MG Midget sports car which was manufactured in the Oxfordshire town.

But the name was labelled 'disablist hate speech' by Dr Erin Pritchard, a disabilities studies lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, who started a petition that gathered more than 1,300 signatures.

Dr Pritchard, who herself has dwarfism and previously campaigned for Marks and Spencer to rename their Midget Gem sweets to Mini Gems, said that she and other people with dwarfism regard the original name as a 'derogatory slur' and find it 'offensive'.

Writing on her petition, Dr Pritchard said: 'Midget is a derogatory word used towards people with dwarfism. It is a term derived from the word 'midge' meaning Gnat or Sand-fly, which is dehumanising. 

'It was a term popularised during the Victorian freak show, but unfortunately continues to be used as a form of hate speech towards people with dwarfism. 

'People with dwarfism, including children with the condition experience name calling on a daily basis. They have experienced this word being shouted at them.' 

She added: 'Whilst Greene King claims that the pub is named after the MG Midget car, the phasing does not reflect this, especially whilst it omits 'MG'.' 

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'Furthermore, the origins of the name of that car come from freak show terminology, which is disablist hate speech and flouts the Equality Act (2010).'

Dr Pritchard's petition did attract a counter-petition by Joe Lawlor, who wrote: 'I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with this decision, and in my opinion I think it is ridiculous. The naming is part of Abingdon's history.'

More than 5,000 people signed the counter-petition but to no avail, as the watering hole reopened on December 13 as the Roaring Raindrop after a 'six-figure' refurbishment.

The new name derives from another iconic MG car the EX181, shaped like a raindrop, which British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss OBE used to smash a speed record of 245.6 miles per hour in 1957.

The Black Bitch 

The Midget-owners Greene King previously found itself in hot water over a pub called The Black Bitch in Linlithgow, West Lothian, amid fears the name could be seen as racist.

Its origins derived from a female greyhound that formed part of the town's traditional crest - but pub bosses opted to rename it The Willow Tree regardless.

Outraged campaigners hoped to reverse the plans and more than 500 objections were submitted while a petition to stop the move gathered more than 11,000 names.

Back in 2022, the West Lothian History and Amenity Society said: 'The term 'Black Bitch' has been associated with the town for over 700 years, natives of Linlithgow are proud to be known as 'Black Bitches'; it is a term of affection with no negative connotations.

'The term describes a female canine, rightly called a bitch which is black in colour - nothing offensive, no misogyny involved.

'Greene King have jumped to the wrong conclusions and read something into the name which does not exist.'

Greene King turned to the Government in a bid to have the move rubber stamped after West Lothian Council deferred a planning decision and eventually got the go ahead to make the name change in November 2022. 

The pub was targeted by graffiti artists in January 2023, with a cheeky sketch of a dog urinating on the tree logo of the newly-renamed The Willow Tree appearing to reference the battle over its name.  

Labour In Vain 

The Labour In Vain pub in Yarnsfield, Staffordshire, celebrated its 170th anniversary in 2020 but was at the centre of repeated controversy. 

Locals battled for 20 years to keep the sign locals which shows a black boy being scrubbed in the bath by a white couple.

The pub's name is believed to stem from a story about a white woman giving birth to a black baby and then resorting to the 'vain labour' of trying to scrub him white to avoid her husband's reaction. 

The sign was first removed in 1994 after two 10-year-old girls complained and was then replaced by a farmer sowing seeds. 

In 2001, then-licensees Christine and John Glover found the sign and hung it in the beer garden, prompting the Stafford and District Racial Equality Council to request it be removed from view. The sign was given less prominence, but remained on display in the garden.

In 2009 Vince Hannant and Debbie Donovan took over the pub and again there was talk that the 'sign should come down'.

But at the time Mr Hannant was reported as saying the locals told him, 'Don't even touch it, we've been though so much to keep it.'

Pub regular Richard Charwood was said to have then arranged a referendum of villagers to find out if they wanted to keep it. They were reportedly overwhelmingly in favour of doing so.

The pub came to the attention of race campaigners who called for its removal, but the intervention of the so-called Pub Sign Project Committee angered many in the village. 

It now seems that the pub has closed, but there is an ongoing petition by a branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to try and save it. 

The Sly Old Fox in Birmingham 

This historic pub situated opposite the famous Hippodrome in Hurst Street was targeted by animal rights activists, who claimed its name is 'derogatory' towards foxes.

PETA has suggested the pub, which dates back to 1891 and has hosted a number of famous faces including Charlie Chaplin, becomes 'The Clever Old Fox' instead.

They have argued the current name is 'negative' and perpetuates foxes' 'unearned' reputation as pests.

'The word 'sly' often carries negative connotations like 'deceitful' – a wholly inaccurate and unfair perception of foxes,' Elisa Allen, vice president of programmes at PETA, wrote.

'We hope you agree that these magnificent animals deserve our respect.'

However, PETA's response was widely ridiculed on social media - and the pub retains its historic name:  

One person on X wrote: 'These activists are delusional if they honestly believe foxes will be offended by a pub sign! I wasn't aware foxes could even read.'

Another posted: 'Do foxes care? Nope they just carry on being foxes. Those with too much time on their hands need to find something else to occupy their time with.

A third said: 'Foxes have been boycotting that pub for years.' A fourth simply wrote: 'Ridiculous.'

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans 

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans is another pub targeted by hardcore animal rights organisation PETA over its name.

One of the drinking holes claiming to be Britain's oldest, it claims to had a business operating on the grounds since 793AD, although the the earliest reference to it being an alehouse is in 1756. 

In 2022 PETA asked the new owners to rename it 'The Happy Hens', with activists alternatively suggesting Ye Olde Clever Cocks or The Cheery Chooks. 

Activists said the pub's name 'calls to mind the violence and cruelty of a hideous blood sport that has been outlawed in the UK for more than a century'.

Campaigners also demanded the pub, which serves classic British grub, adopt a fully plant-based menu.

The possible royal origins of 'The Black Boy' pub name 

Across England and Wales there are at least 25 different pubs called 'The Black Boy', or similar. 

Though the name is thought to have a number of origins, including the soot darkened faces of chimney sweeps, it is often thought to be a reference to King Charles II.

The monarch, who ruled England, Scotland and Ireland from 1660 until his death, aged 54, in 1665, was nicknamed 'Black Boy' by his mother, Henrietta Maria of France, due to his dark hair and complexion.

He was restored as the monarch in 1660 after his father Charles I was executed and the traditional monarchy system removed in 1649 in place of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth following the English Civil War.

Charles II's nickname was taken up by those who supported his attempts to restore the monarchy, who labelled themselves 'The Black Boys', and it is believed a number of pubs changed their name to The Black Boy as a show of allegiance.

Other suggestions for the name's origins including the misspelling of a nautical navigation marker, a 'buoy'.

The Black Boy Pub 

There are an estimated 70 pubs in the UK called the Black Boy, as of 2011.  

Pub retailer and brewer Greene King decided to change the name of three pubs it owned with that name - in Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury in Suffolk, and Shinfield in Berkshire - in the wake of Black Lives Matter. 

The decision sparked outrage on social media with many users branding the move 'woke' and accusing the brewing giant of erasing history. 

The Black Boy Inn, in Bewdley, Worcestershire, also changed its name after more than 200 years.  

Back in 2021, the leaseholders said Stonegate Pubs, the brewery which owns the 15th Century tavern, ordered them to change the name 'because of the Black Lives Matter movement' and that they had 'no say in it'.

The pub was renamed The Bewdley Inn - a decision which left many locals angry.

Historians believe King Charles II was referred to as the 'black boy' because it was a nickname given to him by his mother due to his dark hair and complexion.

The building dates back nearly 600 years and has been known as The Black Boy Inn since the early 19th Century. Before that it was known as The Blackamoors Head.

Locals were critical of the decision to rename the pub, saying the term 'Black Boy' is not racist.

On the Bewdley-related Facebook pages, people said it was just part of history, according to Birmingham Live.

Julia Tracey said: 'The Midlands was a Royalist region in the Civil War, so there are a few pubs with this name. 

'The old pub sign at the Black Boy had a painting of Charles 2nd on it and it's a pity this was taken down, as it's a clear reference to the meaning of the name.

'I've been in, many times with black friends, and my black relatives, and no one ever gave a **** about the name!' 

The Blacks Head

Locals at the The Blacks Head in Wirksworth insisted the name came from a bottle of ginger beer. 

However, the decision was taken to change the name to the The Quarryman in the wake of Black Lives Matter. 

Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of racial equality charity the Runnymede Trust,  welcomed the news, explaining the former names had been a reminder of a 'history of oppression'.

However, the news was not met with enthusiasm by all - with some on social media slamming the decision as 'beyond ridiculous'.

One user said: 'More wokey b*******.' Another added: 'Give me f***ing strength. I can suggest the replacement names. The Woke and the Broke.'

Despite the backlash, the name was changed in 2021 after a vote, in which The Quarryman got 839 out of the 1,923 votes cast. 

Since the local area is so closely associated with limestone quarries and lead mining, the new name was an homage to Wirksworth's industrial history. 

Greene King managing director Wayne Shurvinton said there was a perception the original name was'linked with racism, which is why we knew we had to take this step if we wanted to continue on our journey to become a truly anti-racist organisation'.

The Saracen's Head 

A convicted terrorist is taking a pub to court after he claimed to be deeply offended by the sign outside the venue.

Khalid Baqa, who has previously spent four years behind bars for preparing Jihadi propaganda, wants more than £1,000 from the Saracen's Head Inn in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.

He has criticised what he described as the racist 'depiction of a bearded Arab/Turk' on the pub's sign and also insisted the depiction 'incites violence'.

Baqa has asked for £1,850 from the landlord and has also announced plans for take on over 30 other pubs with the same name if successful.

However, the landlord of the pub is fighting back against the lawsuit which he has slammed as a 'complete joke.'

Speaking to The Sun, Robbie Hayes said: 'This has been called The Saracen's Head for 500 years.

'He's just chancing his hand. Of course it worries me - you never know with people like this.'

The 52-year-old added that none of his pubgoers are racist and that he did not believe the sign or the name were racist but instead were 'simply historic'.

Read More

Convicted terrorist sues 500-year-old pub saying he's 'deeply offended' by Saracen's Head sign

Baqa has filed a 'claim of money' form an application to county court for a sum of cash a person believes they are owed.

His application was previously referred to a small claims court.

In a submission explaining the reason behind his claim, Baqa said the sign - which depicts a brown-skinned man of Arab or Turkish descent - 'instilled worry and fear in me since it was clearly xenophobic, racist and inciting violence to certain people.'

He goes on to claim to have contacted the pub four times and even visited the public house in person. However staff at the Saracen's Head Inn have no record.

In 2018, Baqa was jailed for four years and eight months after admitting five counts of dissemination of Terrorist publications.

Speaking to The Sun, he claimed to have always been offended by pub names like the Buckinghamshire pub.

Saracen was a term used until the 5th century to refer to Arabs and and then also Muslims years later.

It is among the most popular name for a pub in the UK alongside titles such as the Red Lion.

Despite the name harking back to the time of the crusades, this pub was only built in 1530.

MailOnline have approached the Saracen's Head Inn for a comment.