A charity event has come under fire after one of its stallholders was seen selling Golliwog dolls.
When confronted about flogging the dolls, the woman who makes and sells them said that those who are upset are 'do-gooders' who 'just don't understand'.
Attendant Rebecca Wise, 25, said she was shocked when she spotted the 'outdated dolls' on the stand at the event held at the castle of Alan Clark's widow.
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But Jane Clark - who owns Saltwood Castle where the fundraiser was held - defended the stallholder and stated the dolls were 'not racist' and 'beautifully made'.
"I bought one myself," she said.
"I feel rather upset for the owner of the stall that someone has complained.
"They are not racist at all and they are beautifully made. The owner refers to them as 'golli's' rather than golliwog."
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Rebecca has since said she's shocked at the organisers' reaction to the incident.
She said: "The idea of trying to make new ones and profit of their history is shocking.
"But what shocked me the most was the organisers' reaction to it. They were really quite defensive of it.
"I was speaking to a man and woman who were organisers. He said to me that he thought it was a really great representation of black people and they should feel grateful that we have them on display on a stall.
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"He came back to me at one point and said he had lots of black friends and they didn't have a problem with the dolls.
"To me I feel the exaggerated look of the doll is offensive and with its big lips, hair and outfit, and they represent racist depictions."
The stallholder, Christine Skeham, chimed in by stating that those who were upset about the dolls just 'didn't understand' the dolls history, adding: "I think it's the younger age group who get upset about this.
"You only have to read an Enid Blyton book to see golliwogs are not racist.
"People sell them in shops, I'm not the only one selling them, some people just don't understand.
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"It's all of these do-gooders who make a fuss."
Christine and Jane fought their corners. But in the age of civilisation they're outvoted, and the spokeswoman for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) - whose Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis branch was the focus of the event - stated: "Unfortunately we weren't aware the dolls were being sold at the event."
It's yet to be seen whether Christine will be allowed to continue to sell her dolls, but let's clear up the whole racism thing by explaining that the 'Golliwogg' character was originally created by the illustrator Florence Kate Upton in the late 1800s, before being commercially produced as soft toys up to the 1970s.
The dolls have roots in the blackface minstrel tradition and following changing political attitudes, this movement is widely considered to be racist.
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: Racist