East End chippy under threat due to its ties to Jack the Ripper

If you went to a British secondary school there are three things you probably remember from history class: Henry the VIII had six wives, Neville Chamberlain got off a plane waving a piece of paper and that Jack the Ripper was the most notorious serial killer in Victorian London.

The tale of the nameless nightcrawler who stalked, brutalised and murdered Whitechapel's women in 1888 has been regaled to generation after generation, to the point where the truth is often, these days, ignored in favour of the myth.

With an influx of gritty TV dramas, heavy metal songs and bad-taste merch, the Ripper’s five real-life victims are often, tragically, overlooked or dismissed as ‘just’ sex workers.

Well, they were until the people of Greenwich got involved.

East End chippy Jack the Chipper recently opened its second store in the area. And let’s just say it hasn’t gone down well.

Members of the public have decided to boycott the business and say the pun-named food joint is glamorising violence against women. The negative reaction has been so severe, owner, Recep Turhan says the shop might have to close.

Speaking to The Sun, he says: ‘They were historical events. I wasn’t celebrating what he did. It’s a play on words… It’s not like this is a murderer from last year. It’s a name we chose and it’s a brand now.’

Turhan adds he will not bow to public pressure and change his business’s name. Instead, he plans to show his respect for women by offering them a 50 percent discount. 

But alongside the backlash, many Londoners have come out in support of Jack the Chipper. 

Chelsea-Jean says, ‘There’s a barbershop in the Whitechapel area called Jack the Clipper. That’s a bit more macabre than Jack The Chipper.’

Ethan Kenyon-Tate also showed his support, writing: ‘Jack the Chipper? I could understand it if the chippie was called “Harold Chipman” but the last Ripper murder was in 1888. Good grief.’

Snowflake generation overreacting or a tasteless marketing ploy? Whichever side of the fence you fall, remember these names: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. No amount of discounted cod is going to do them any good.  

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