LONDON -- Support and derision flooded the Twitter feed of Fuckoffee, a coffee shop in Bermondsey, south London, when its managers tweeted a letter from lawyers telling them to take down the sign bearing their "offensive" name.
The sign has been up for more than a year, a rebranding from the more innocuous "Bermondsey Street Coffee."
No humour please, we're British. pic.twitter.com/P1U9VhAEho— Fuckoffee (@fuck0ffee) October 21, 2015
#JeSuisFuckoffee pic.twitter.com/e1TRf31aM8— Fuckoffee (@fuck0ffee) October 21, 2015
The letter is from the lawyers of the owners of the building. It says: "We are instructed that you have either erected or allowed your sub-tenant to erect an offensive sign on the exterior of the building […] without the permission or authority of our client and this constitutes a trespass."
It gives the shop a deadline of 4 p.m. on Oct. 27 to confirm they've removed the sign, or their clients will take steps to remove the sign themselves.
Supporters of the shop decried the lack of humour of the lawyers, and the shop retweeted the messages, along with other things that are offensive:
@TimJWatts @fuck0ffee don't ever show them the tube map, they may see cockfosters— Tom Mottram (@GingerMotty) October 22, 2015
"Offended" by our loyalty cards pic.twitter.com/7QzhVY6IOF— Fuckoffee (@fuck0ffee) October 21, 2015
It also revelled in the free publicity:
KERCHING! https://t.co/muaT5qqso7— Fuckoffee (@fuck0ffee) October 22, 2015
Other people agreed with the landlord, and kept children in mind.
@fuck0ffee Fully behind the landlord on this one. Unnecessary and un-funny sign— Jonty Warner (@JontyWarner) October 22, 2015
"Billy Sollocks" - a clever shop name. Yours - it's just offensive in public and I don't want my kids reading that https://t.co/QcDaeamN5H— Tim Watts (@TimJWatts) October 22, 2015
Someone with the username AndreaSG started a petition in support of the coffee shop. "We, the undersigned, confirm we have a sense of humour and find the continued attack on our beloved Fuckoffee an insult to freedom of expression, freedom of speech and humour," it reads, with about 40 supporters as of 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Ward councillor Damian O'Brien told the Evening Standard that he liked the shop but a few people had complained about the cafe's name, and contacted the police.
“The police don’t feel that there’s enough evidence to proceed,” he said. “If the word had started with a C, that would have been an entirely different case altogether."
The coffee shop is part of the Brick Lane Coffee group of three shops around London. The group takes pride in its edgy attitude. "Welcome to Brick Lane Coffee, where all organic milk and getting your order wrong has been our standard of excellence since 1999," reads their website.