Black Lives Matter: Penny Lane road signs vandalised in anti-slavery protest

One of the vandalised signs. Photo / Twitter

Road signs on Liverpool's famous Penny Lane have been vandalised by protesters in an attack which has been labelled as "disgraceful" and "mindless".

The street was targeted after messages began to spread online that suggested the street was named after James Penny, a slave ship owner.

The word Penny was sprayed over and the message "Penny was a slave trader" was painted nearby.

The street inspired The Beatles' 1967 hit of the same name, which was written primarily by Paul McCartney and paints a picture of his upbringing in Liverpool.

@mayor_anderson @lpoolcouncil @bluebadgeguide So angry I cant speak right now. Please retweet everywhere. Penny lane is NOT named after James Penny!!! pic.twitter.com/dSchEDqdmy

— Jackie Spencer (@jacarandajac) June 12, 2020

Facing calls for the city to address its historical connections with the slave trade, Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said it wasn't clear that Penny Lane's name was derived from the notorious slaver.

"My understanding is that there is no evidence that "Penny Lane" is named after slave trader James Penny," he said on Twitter.

"It is debated and said that there was a toll bridge that cost a penny there hence its name."

The street currently appears on a list of Liverpool streets associated with slavery, which is on show at the city's International Slavery Museum.

Richard Benjamin, head of the museum told the Liverpool Echo: "We realise that there is some debate about whether Penny Lane was named after James Penny and we openly talk about this to visitors.

"The research that was carried out in 2007 - the year that the museum opened - was indeed not conclusive, but we have not removed it from our collection, as we believe the museum is a place of debate and discussion.

"We are actively carrying out research on this particular question and will re-evaluate the display, and change if required."

Local councillor Richard Kemp told the Echo the damage was "disgraceful".

He said: "I'm really annoyed about this, this is just based on a rumour that has gone around that Penny Lane is named after James Penny - which just isn't true.

"If it was the case then that would be something to be debated and discussed, but it isn't - so this mindless graffiti is just disgraceful."

Popped down to Penny Lane to get pictures on the graffiti to find the community already hard at work cleaning the signs. Real anger here. THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN PENNY LANE AND JAMES PENNEY THE SLAVE TRADER pic.twitter.com/xRukv7m4op

— Richard Kemp CBE (@cllrkemp) June 12, 2020