Cheers! Brewery creates slavery beer to celebrate ‘abolition’

 

As the government’s offensive began to gain pace in the run up to their ceremonial jamboree at Westminster Abbey on 27th March, news of their latest endorsed initative emerged. Elgood’s Brewery created a beer named ‘Brookes ale’ after the infamous slaving ship that served as a place of suffering and abuse for many Africans who were transported on the ship from their home in Africa to the labour camps of the Americas and the Caribbean. To further the insult, the label on the bottle of beer features an image of the Brookes ship and the famous cross section depicting Africans packed like sardines in the holt of the ship.

Malcolm Moss MP who arranged for the beer to be sold in the House of Commons said; "I am delighted that [Elgood’s Brewery] have created this and I am sure… it will be a tasty beer." When the Ligali organisation wrote to Malcolm Moss MP to raise objection to the name of the beer and the depiction of the dehumanisation of Africans plastered on the bottle, he initially failed to respond. 8 months later, after being prompted by a follow up email, he arrogantly dismissed the concerns raised. He failed to address the fact that a beer called Auschwitz ale which featured an image of jewish people being gassed in a tortured chamber would be considered utterly inappropriate, yet a beer that had caused offence to Africans in the same way was deemed acceptable to sell in the House of Commons.

In a voicemail message to the Ligali organisation he said: “Frankly this is, I thought, a complete non event. I passed your letter onto the brewers. I understand that they revamped the labeling of the ale. The ale was on sale for a week or two and then withdrawn. I’ve had no adverse comment from anyone else and please remember that it was Clarkson’s diagrams of the Brookes that he took around the country that persuaded the British public that slavery should be abandoned and stopped and so it had immense influence on persuading public opinion that the slave trade was iniquitously [and] immoral.”