Woke London council spends £180,000 renaming local road...only for it to be vandalised by protester hours later

A London council that spent £180,000 renaming a local road have been left red faces after it was vandalised just hours later.

The Tottenham road was formerly known as Black Boy Lane but was renamed La Rose Lane on Monday, honouring the late black publisher, poet John La Rose.

The name change was suggested to the council after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in in May 2020 over in America.

But residents on the road have protested against the name change, with some putting up copies of the original sign outside their homes.

One resident said: “I will keep it up, I don’t think the council can force me to take it down.

“Why they waste so much money (changing the signs) when that money could be spent in a better way?

“The council just decided to change the name because of Black Lives Matter.”

A campaigner handed out the signs for free to encourage residents on the street to share their disapproval at the council’s decision.

The local town hall said “Although the historical origin of the pub’s name is not clear, during the 20th century the pub’s sign depicted a racially caricatured image of a black person until it was replaced as a result of pressure from local residents in the 1980s.”

It said the name “continues to have a negative impact on black residents and visitors to our borough due to its racial connotations”.

The name change is said to have cost the taxpayer £180,000 according to Save Our Statues, according to heritage campaigners.

Haringey Council leader Peray Ahmet shared an image of one of the signs on the road, showing that someone had sprayed it with black paint.

She said: “Really sad and disappointed to have been sent this today.

“This follows a fantastic launch yesterday where we celebrated the life and legacy of John La Rose.

What could this ever achieve beyond mindless vandalism.”

One Twitter user replied “Saw that coming.”

Another said: “While I do not condone vandalism, there is certainly a feeling that this change was imposed upon the local residents and that so-called consultations carried no value. The words Black Boy were clearly understood locally to have no link to ethnicity or skin tone.”