Convicted terrorist ‘deeply offended’ by pub sign blames booze because it ‘scares him’

On December 16, 2024By Littum

A convicted terrorist is suing a pub after he was allegedly “deeply offended” by a sign that “frightened him”.

Khalid Baqa, 60, who has spent four years in prison for creating jihadi propaganda, said the “depict of a bearded Arab/Turk” on the boozer’s sign “incites violence”.

He is now suing The Saracen’s Head Inn, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, for almost £2,000, saying the figure on the sign – which depicts a brown-skinned man of Arab or Turkish descent – is racist.

If successful, the 60-year-old plans to take on 30 other pubs with the same name.

$The \u00adSaracen\u2019s Head Inn in Amersham, Buckingham$ Khalid Baqa is suing The Saracen’s Head Inn in Amersham, BuckinghamGoogle Street View

However, the landlord of the inn is fighting back against the lawsuit, which he branded a “complete joke”.

Speaking to The Sun, Robbie Hayes said: “This has been called the Saracen’s Head for 500 years.

“He just switches hands. Of course it worries me – you never know with people like that.”

“We don’t want to be pushed around and change hundreds of years of history just because some loudmouths want to cause trouble.”

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If successful, the 60-year-old plans to take on 30 other pubs with the same name

He said the sign and name were “simply historical” rather than racist and insisted his pub patrons were all tolerant individuals.

When Baqa filed the claim in a county court, he said the sign “instilled concern and fear in me as it was clearly xenophobic, racist and inciting violence against certain people”.

He said he visited the pub in person to voice his concerns, although staff at the inn say they have no record.

Saracen is a term used since at least the 5th century to refer to Arabs and later attached to Muslims. The pub name Saracen’s Head is said to be linked to the Crusades.

It is one of the most popular names for a pub in the UK, along with The Red Lion

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It is one of the most popular names for a pub in the UK, along with The Red Lion and The Royal Oak.

The 60-year-old told the publication that he has always been offended by names like the Amersham pubs, although he has only just discovered ways to challenge them.

“I have stopped all terrorism now,” he added.

In 2018, Baqa was jailed for four years and eight months after admitting five counts of disseminating terrorist publications.