Pub bosses have been forced to deny they are neo-Nazis after a rogue member of staff hid codes linked to right-wing extremism in a chalkboard sign promoting a bingo event.
Landlord of The Six Bells, in Northfleet, Dan Pike, told KentOnline he was first made aware that an in-house advertisement had been tampered with at 1am yesterday (November 4).
The landlord said the incident has been taken “very seriously”
He received an email informing him the sign for its ‘Bingo and Boogie’ event on Saturday (November 8) contained numerical codes used by neo-Nazis and was being shared widely online.
The chalkboard, which had been written by another member of staff, included drawings of three balls with the numbers 88, 18 and 14.
The digits are linked with neo-Nazis, with 88 standing for Heil Hitler, 18 for Adolf Hitler and 14 being the shorthand for a white supremacist slogan, Fourteen Words in reference to slogans originated by the convicted American terrorist David Eden Lane.
Dan was unaware of the connotations and said it did not ring any alarm bells, especially with 88 being the number for the iconic bingo call Two Fat Ladies, so the email caught him off guard.
He added: “My first concern was that we might be targeted in some way, as it was such an extreme thing. I was worried about my staff’s safety.
“They could not have chosen something further from the truth. I do not blame those who are sharing it, as they do not know me or the pub.”
The sign had numbers associated with neo-Nazis
He explained he immediately rubbed the sign out and spoke to the staff member, who “admitted full responsibility” and now no longer works at the public house in Old Perry Street, near Cygnets Leisure Centre.
Dan, who has run the boozer for 10 years, has also published a statement on social media to reassure his customers he has taken the incident “very seriously”.
It read: “Many of you know me well and know this pub well, and I would not even need to tell you that these are absolutely not viewpoints that I hold.
“Having this tarnish on myself and my business is sickening and was just as bad for my staff.
“A plucky rabble of mothers, teachers and musical theatre performers suddenly being linked to something so damaging and contradictory to their beliefs has been terrifying for us all.
“These types of insidious and threatening messages and viewpoints are not welcome anywhere, let alone in my pub, and unless dealt with quickly, can grow and grow.
“Having this tarnish on myself and my business is sickening…”
“One of the most hurtful things about this whole experience was the comments that suggested that we must be what they say we are because of where we are from.
“Some believe Gravesend to be a hotbed of hate, but I cannot see how that is anything but further from the truth. And I think we should all endeavour to prove to them how wrong they are.”
Dan said he also wanted to personally thank people for the support he has received through this from staff, customers and friends and family.
“My business is likely damaged irreparably through this, as seen through a flurry of negative reviews that accumulated whilst dealing with this issue and may well continue long after,” he added.
“There are people who simply just do not know us, who we are, what we represent and probably do not really care; to them I am their enemy, and your support despite that risk is so humbling it literally brings me to tears.
“Finally, I want to apologise. I am certainly no Nazi, but make no mistake, I am fully aware that this happened on my watch, and there is a culpability to that.
“I could have and should have done better. There are times I showed incompetence and times I showed weakness leading up to this happening.
“Lessons have been learned. I will do better.”
It is understood the police have been made aware of the incident who KentOnline have approached for comment.