Listen to this article:A pub owner has fired a member of staff after they hid neo-Nazi messaging in a sign advertising a bingo night. The employee clearly doesn’t know how to write a bingo night poster properly. Dan Pike, the landlord of The Six Bells in Northfleet, dismissed the person after finding a chalkboard bingo night promo included neo-Nazi codes.
Mr. Pike said that he first learned of the issue at around 1 a.m. on November 4, when an email alerted him that the sign advertising the “Bingo and Boogie” night on November 8 contained coded references used by extremists.
The chalkboard, written by a staff member, showed three bingo balls with the numbers 88, 18, and 14, all of which are figures associated with white supremacist groups. The number 88 represents “Heil Hitler”, 18 refers to “Adolf Hitler”, and 14 relates to the “Fourteen Words”, a slogan coined by American terrorist David Eden Lane.
Mr. Pike said the numbers did not initially raise suspicion, explaining that 88 is commonly used in bingo for the call “Two Fat Ladies”.
“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.”
He said he immediately erased the board with neo-Nazi symbols and confronted the employee responsible, who “admitted full responsibility” and has since left the pub on Old Perry Street, near Cygnets Leisure Centre.
Having run The Six Bells for a decade, Mr. Pike posted a public statement to reassure patrons that he takes the matter “very seriously”.
“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…”
He went on to reject claims that the local area harbours hateful attitudes. “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.”
Mr. Pike thanked staff, customers, friends, and family for their support.
“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. 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.”
Police have reportedly been informed about the bingo night promo with neo-Nazi codes, but it is not known if they will take any action.
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