Reprieve for market trader banned over Knights Templar mugs that might offend Muslims

A market stallholder banned for selling Knights Templar crusader mugs because they could offend Muslims may be set for a reprieve.

Vintage book seller Tina Gayle was told she had breached trading rules by marketing the coloured printed cups showing a medieval knight and stamped with the Christian chivalric order’s Latin motto which translates as: “Not to us Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory”.

A letter, reportedly prompted by a single complaint, informed Ms Gayle she had breached Charnwood Council’s trading terms and conditions and had to leave her pitch of three years in Loughborough Vintage Market, Leicestershire.

But she has now received a phone call from market authorities and now has a meeting with the stalls’ manager after the council apparently said it had “got this one wrong” in the way it had handled the matter.

Ms Gayle, from Didcot, Oxfordshire, said her ban on October 6 had come after the council “had a complaint that the mugs might be offensive to Muslims”.

She added: “The person who complained wasn’t offended himself, but thought Muslims might be. I’ve never had a Muslim come into my stall and say they were offended by the mugs.”

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The run-in with market authorities followed a previous issue over the sale of some mugs bearing Second World War-era Nazi symbols.

But the council has since said it “got this one wrong” and the issue was not that complaint about the mugs causing offence, but the fact they were new.

In a statement, it said: “Firstly, we would like to apologise. We are open and honest enough to say we got this one wrong.

“We did receive a complaint because someone was offended by the mugs, but we do not find the mugs offensive.

“Our main issue was that it is a vintage market and these items were new when we only want vintage or used items on sale.

“We communicated that poorly to the trader and we will be reviewing how this happened to learn lessons for the future. We will also be speaking to the trader involved.

“We apologise for any upset caused and we acted in what we thought was the best interests of Loughborough’s markets.”

Ms Gayle, 57, said she was “appreciative” for the council’s change of approach and had “no bad feelings”.

“I’ve been summoned to a meeting with the markets manager on Thursday. They haven’t apologised to me directly, but have called me to that meeting,” she said. “I’m very optimistic.

“But I realise it’s a very big thing for the council to issue a public apology and I’m appreciative.

“Should I be offered my pitch back, I’ll obviously be very happy.”