'˜Racism' rumpus over golliwog image on sale at Lewes Flea Market

George Lamptey, whose parents are from Ghana in West Africa, posted on Trip Advisor last month that the item was “not acceptable” and gave the venue a ‘terrible’ rating.

He attached a photograph of the image, which came from a Golden Shred marmalade advertisement by manufacturer Robertson’s, writing that in 2018 it was fair to say it was racist.

Mr Lamptey, 47, from Bromley, said: “I did not approach the vendor. It was a split decision not to make a scene with my family present as it was already very upsetting.”

He continued: “It was a product of its time created around the negative connotations around black people.”

He said the poster was a reminder of racist abuse he had suffered as a child when stones were thrown at him.

Robertson’s introduced ‘Golly’ on literature, labels and price lists in 1910. Badges were introduced in the 1920s and when production stopped in 2001 more than 20 million Gollies had been produced.

Robertson’s always insisted that they did not retire the Golly in 2002 because of the pressure of political correctness in the 1990s, but simply for commercial reasons.