What was claimed
An image shows Nigel Farage wearing a gollywog badge.
Our verdict
The image has been edited to include the badge.
This image does not show Nigel Farage wearing a gollywog badge
23 May 2019
An image claiming to show Nigel Farage wearing a pin badge depicting a gollywog has been shared over 400 times on Facebook.
However, the image is an edited version of a photo used to illustrate the Wikipedia page on Mr Farage’s electoral history.
The gollywog is a racist fictional character based on a caricatured depiction of black people. In recent years, numerous public figures have had to apologise for using the term to describe black people, or for defending the character.
The badge seen in the photo appears to be from UK marmalade and preserve brand Robertson’s. The Golly was the brand’s mascot from 1910 to 2001, when it was ‘retired’. The brand denied this was in response to a change in popular attitude towards the character.