Scandalous moment when two men in blackface show up for the pub’s ‘black and white’ competition
Scandalous moment when two men in blackface show up for the pub’s ‘black and white’ competition
- Men in blackface win prize in NZ pub
- Group discarded due to objection
- Men became abusive when challenged
A pub has come under fire after two patrons turned up in blackface – and were subsequently given a ‘best dressed’ award.
The men came to the Bower pub in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Saturday evening for a ‘black and white’ social event celebrating the colors of the New Zealand National Rugby Union as the All Blacks took on Australia.
The men obscured their faces and arms and donned afro wigs along with large square black sunglasses to resemble a golliwog doll.
They also wore matching bright orange t-shirts and carried small open yellow umbrellas.
A female pub-goer told the New Zealand website Stuff that she was outraged by the racial caricature.
“Two men decided it was totally OK to dress up as gollywogs/blackface. The bartender who served us noticed our shock and apologized several times,” she said.
The group of three women got even angrier when the men were awarded prizes for being “best dressed.”
“When confronted by someone in our group about their choice of clothing and the blatant racism and ignorance that came with it, the men and their group became aggressive, spitting while screaming and telling the woman to kill herself,” said the woman.
“A member threatened to bottle her.”
She says her group was then escorted out by the same man who presented the couple with the best dressed award.
He allegedly told the group that the two men would also be kicked out, but as they waited in their car, they did not see this happen.
Bar owner Katrina Hargen declined to comment, but her partner Pierre identified himself as the man presenting the awards and escorted the irate group out.
“The three ladies who objected to this … were the only ones in a bar with about 100 people who stood out,” he said.
When a group of three women objected to the racial caricature outfits, they were kicked out of the pub
A New Zealand pub has defended itself by offering a ‘best dressed’ award to two men who turned up in blackface on Saturday night
“Half our people down there are Māori and stuff, and they loved it, so why does it matter. Why is it racist?
“It was a costume party. Black and white.
“Eighty percent of our clientele is Māori, Asian, Samoan, Tongan and so on.
‘Did they kick? No, they’ve seen the funny side.’
Pierre said he asked the women to go outside and calm down while he spoke to the men to get their side of the story.
However, he says that when he went out to talk to the women, they were gone.
The theatrical tradition of blackface began in the US after the American Civil War and saw white performers paint their faces with exaggerated supposedly stereotypical African American features.