A pubgoer was left “in shock” when they saw someone dressed as a member of the racist Ku Klux Klan group, more commonly known as the KKK, in a Cornish pub on New Year’s Eve. The Chiverton Arms, near Blackwater, was hosting an 80s themed fancy dress night.
Pictured inside the pub at around 7pm yesterday, December 31, 2024, one person can clearly be seen wearing what appears to be white sheets, clearly resembling the infamous far-right group, closely associated with cross burning and racial hatred. The pub asked the individual wearing the costume to remove it.
A member of the public, who was in the pub on the night in question, said they were “so angry and annoyed” to see it. The pubgoer, who said there were two people dressed in the attire, although photographed just one of them, said: “It’s not right and people should not be dressed like that.”
They added that there were staff dressed in fancy dress as well so it appeared to be a themed party but she could not be sure anyone else recognised them as dressing as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). On the sheet was the distinguishable blood drop cross, the primary symbol related to the Ku Klux Klan group.
“We were in shock at first and couldn’t believe it. We spoke to a guy standing near us and he thought it was a game character as some people were dressed as Mario. No one seemed to take much notice and they did seem to know people and staff.”
The pub’s landlord said the costume was removed after they were made aware
(Image: Submitted)
That individual left after just a couple of drinks as they were mortified. Previous similar instances across the country have been treated as hate crimes.
A spokesperson for the pub said: “I’m the landlord and was made aware that one person was dressed like that and costume was removed. We put up a fancy dress 80s theme for the new year and we can’t tell people what to wear.
“We did though tell the person to remove it once we were aware. No complaints were made on the evening for us to deal with.”
Join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and be first to hear what’s happening near you