‘We can't please everyone': co-founder of east London bakery targeted with graffiti reacts
An east London bakery – as famous for its long-fermented breads as the work it does with at-risk young people – has been targeted by vandals accusing it of destroying their local community.
Ashley Walters, Jamie Oliver and Yotam Ottolenghi are among fans of the Dusty Knuckle's menu, from its £11.50, two-hander, pilpelchuma celeriac sandwich to its £7.60 egg, pickled green chilli and cheese focaccia.
But last week, the Dusty Knuckle Haringey was targeted with graffiti accusing it of ruining the area: 'GENTRIFRYERS-EW-SHIT BREAD', it read.
Max Tobias, who founded the bakery with Rebecca Oliver and Daisy Terry, was devastated when he saw the graffiti. 'It really upset me,' he said. 'It was so demotivating when our core drive is to help local, unqualified young people in need of a second chance.'
Tobias has since mulled the message over. 'I've decided that we can cope with the 'shit bread' bit because we can't please everyone. But the 'gentrifiers' is a bit more complicated,' he said.
'Being held responsible for housing prices feels like a heavy cross to bear, but there's no getting away from it: we started a sourdough bakery in Hackney at a time when it was hard to come by a flat white there – and now the community has transformed and local people are being priced out.
'We're in an impossible situation when it comes to the 'gentrification' accusation,' Tobias added. 'What do we do as a socially driven organisation trying to scale and help local, young people find work? We need to find areas to open our bakeries where there are underrepresented groups but also aspiring professionals who want to buy our croissants.'
Jamie Oliver also started his now-closed, not-for-profit restaurant and chef-training programme, Fifteen, to help vulnerable young people.
He said: 'Max and the dedicated team at Dusty Knuckle are creating real social change in their local area by harnessing the transformative power of food and hands-on skills. They offer young locals a second chance to turn their lives around.
'I recently filmed there for my up-and-coming documentary on dyslexia, it was amazing. Some team members said they learned more in three months at Dusty Knuckle than during their entire school career, gaining a sense of achievement and accomplishment.
'Investing in people is also investing in the community. Gentrification or rehabilitation? It's a fine line. You want to help people in an area but selling quality food requires growing an audience willing to pay for it.
'I chose Old Street for Fifteen because it was cheap rent, it's not now. Moro restaurant revitalised a rough Exmouth Market, which is now bustling and super cool. This ebb and flow has always been part of London as it's continued to grow in size and population.'
Billy was introduced to the Dusty Knuckle's trainee scheme when he came out of prison after a 12-year sentence for murder.
'Nowhere else would give me a job when I came out of prison but the Dusty Knuckle gave me a chance to shine,' he said.
'I was really confused when I heard about the graffiti,' he added. 'It has to have been done by somebody who has no idea what the Dusty Knuckle actually believes in and stands for because the Dusty Knuckle has changed more lives and done more for a disadvantaged community, whether a person's white, black or Muslim, than the actual community itself.
'I know so many gang members who have gone on to change their lives after working at the Dusty Knuckle programme because it gave them a legit way to earn a living.'
Paul Burnham, the secretary of the Haringey Defend Council Housing group, said responsibility for gentrification lies with local and central government, not individual businesses.
'Yes, £12 sandwiches are drivers of gentrification but the things that really matter are high house prices and high market rents,' he said. 'If local people had protected, affordable housing, it wouldn't matter how much a local croissant cost.
'This government's goal of building 1.5m new homes doesn't include a target for a single new affordable new home. That means the policy will inflate property prices in local areas and drive out the ordinary people who call those areas home.'
The Dusty Knuckle has a string of well-known supporters, including the pastry chef and activist Ravneet Gill and the singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. The two bakeries, cafe and baking school employ 120 local people, with a focus on at-risk, young people who have been involved with the justice system, are care leavers or asylum seekers.
Tobias co-founded the Dusty Knuckle after spending years working in schools, charities and prisons. 'I realised I had nothing to offer these young people who were heading towards a life of crime, or were already in one, other than words,' he said.
'I wanted to show them that they could be enterprising, financially self-sustaining and learn skills. I realised that having a buzzing, entrepreneurial, exciting, busy commercial business environment that they could be part of, would be a much more profound way of displaying those values and putting our money where our mouth is, than in a charity.'
The graffiti has made Tobias think again about locations of future bakeries. But, he said: 'We'd worry a bit about a London where 'fancy bakeries' can't open next to Turkish grocers. How would we get variety and diversity into neighbourhoods then?
'Also, how often are 'poor communities' included in the public conversation about what their housing and local business landscape looks like?' he asked. 'We suspect a lot of the local businesses selling very cheap food aren't doing so to 'protect the poor'.'
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The Guardian
31-03-2025
- The Guardian
Israel killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one, says UN
Fifteen Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers, including at least one United Nations employee, were killed by Israeli forces 'one by one' and buried in a mass grave eight days ago in southern Gaza, the UN has said. According to the UN humanitarian affairs office (Ocha), the Palestinian Red Crescent and civil defence workers were on a mission to rescue colleagues who had been shot at earlier in the day, when their clearly marked vehicles came under heavy Israeli fire in Rafah city's Tel al-Sultan. A Red Crescent official in Gaza said that there was evidence of at least one person being detained and killed, as the body of one of the dead had been found with his hands tied. The shootings happened on 23 March, one day into the renewed Israeli offensive in the area close to the Egyptian border. Another Red Crescent worker on the mission is reported missing. Jonathan Whittall, head of Ocha in Palestine, said in a video statement: 'Seven days ago, civil defence and PRCS ambulances arrived at the scene. One by one, they were hit, they were struck. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave.' 'We're digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave,' Whittall said. 'These ambulances have been buried in the sand. There's a UN vehicle here, buried in the sand. A bulldozer – Israeli forces bulldozer – has buried them.'' Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said that one of its employees was among the dead found in Rafah. 'The body of our colleague killed in Rafah was retrieved yesterday, together with the aid workers from [the Palestinian Red Crescent] – all of them discarded in shallow graves – a profound violation of human dignity,' Lazzarini wrote in a social media post. 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According to the Red Crescent, an ambulance was dispatched to pick up the casualties from the airstrike in the early hours of 23 March and called for a support ambulance. The first ambulance arrived at hospital safely but contact was lost with the support ambulance at 3.30am. An initial report from the scene said it had been shot at and the two paramedics inside had been killed. A convoy of five vehicles, including ambulances, civil defence trucks and two cars from the health ministry were sent to retrieve the bodies. That convoy then came under fire, and the Red Crescent said most of the dead were from that attack. Eight of the dead were from the Red Crescent, six from civil defence and one was a UN employee. Dr Bashar Murad, the Red Crescent's director of health programme, said that one of the paramedics in the convoy was on a call to his colleagues at the ambulance station when the attack took place. 'He informed us that he was injured and requested assistance, and that another person was also injured,' Murad said. 'A few minutes later, during the call, we heard the sound of Israeli soldiers arriving at the location, speaking in Hebrew. The conversation was about gathering the team, with statements like, 'Gather them at the wall and bring some restraints to tie them.' This indicated that a large number of the medical staff were still alive.' The Palestinian Red Crescent president, Younis al-Khatib, said the IDF had impeded the collection of the bodies for several days. The IDF said it had facilitated the evacuation of bodies as soon as 'operational circumstances' allowed. 'The bodies were recovered with difficulty as they were buried in the sand, with some showing signs of decomposition,' the Red Crescent said. Their burial had been put off pending autopsies, Murad said. 'What is certain and very clear is that they were shot in the upper parts of their bodies, then gathered in a hole one on top of another, with sand thrown over them and buried,' he said. He said the body of one of the victims was recovered from the grave with his hands still tied. The claim could not be independently confirmed. Whittall described the mission to recovered the bodies as fraught. 'While travelling to the area on the fifth day we encountered hundreds of civilians fleeing under gunfire,' Whittall said. 'We witnessed a woman shot in the back of the head. When a young man tried to retrieve her, he too was shot. We were able to recover her body using our UN vehicle.' 'It's absolute horror what has happened here,' he added. 'This should never happen. healthcare workers should never be a target.' 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According to the United Nations, at least 1,060 healthcare workers have been killed in the 18 months since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza. That began after Hamas fighters stormed communities in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people. The global body is reducing its international staff in Gaza by a third due to staff safety concerns.
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- The Guardian
‘We can't please everyone': co-founder of east London bakery targeted with graffiti reacts
An east London bakery – as famous for its long-fermented breads as the work it does with at-risk young people – has been targeted by vandals accusing it of destroying their local community. Ashley Walters, Jamie Oliver and Yotam Ottolenghi are among fans of the Dusty Knuckle's menu, from its £11.50, two-hander, pilpelchuma celeriac sandwich to its £7.60 egg, pickled green chilli and cheese focaccia. But last week, the Dusty Knuckle Haringey was targeted with graffiti accusing it of ruining the area: 'GENTRIFRYERS-EW-SHIT BREAD', it read. Max Tobias, who founded the bakery with Rebecca Oliver and Daisy Terry, was devastated when he saw the graffiti. 'It really upset me,' he said. 'It was so demotivating when our core drive is to help local, unqualified young people in need of a second chance.' Tobias has since mulled the message over. 'I've decided that we can cope with the 'shit bread' bit because we can't please everyone. But the 'gentrifiers' is a bit more complicated,' he said. 'Being held responsible for housing prices feels like a heavy cross to bear, but there's no getting away from it: we started a sourdough bakery in Hackney at a time when it was hard to come by a flat white there – and now the community has transformed and local people are being priced out. 'We're in an impossible situation when it comes to the 'gentrification' accusation,' Tobias added. 'What do we do as a socially driven organisation trying to scale and help local, young people find work? We need to find areas to open our bakeries where there are underrepresented groups but also aspiring professionals who want to buy our croissants.' Jamie Oliver also started his now-closed, not-for-profit restaurant and chef-training programme, Fifteen, to help vulnerable young people. He said: 'Max and the dedicated team at Dusty Knuckle are creating real social change in their local area by harnessing the transformative power of food and hands-on skills. They offer young locals a second chance to turn their lives around. 'I recently filmed there for my up-and-coming documentary on dyslexia, it was amazing. Some team members said they learned more in three months at Dusty Knuckle than during their entire school career, gaining a sense of achievement and accomplishment. 'Investing in people is also investing in the community. Gentrification or rehabilitation? It's a fine line. You want to help people in an area but selling quality food requires growing an audience willing to pay for it. 'I chose Old Street for Fifteen because it was cheap rent, it's not now. Moro restaurant revitalised a rough Exmouth Market, which is now bustling and super cool. This ebb and flow has always been part of London as it's continued to grow in size and population.' Billy was introduced to the Dusty Knuckle's trainee scheme when he came out of prison after a 12-year sentence for murder. 'Nowhere else would give me a job when I came out of prison but the Dusty Knuckle gave me a chance to shine,' he said. 'I was really confused when I heard about the graffiti,' he added. 'It has to have been done by somebody who has no idea what the Dusty Knuckle actually believes in and stands for because the Dusty Knuckle has changed more lives and done more for a disadvantaged community, whether a person's white, black or Muslim, than the actual community itself. 'I know so many gang members who have gone on to change their lives after working at the Dusty Knuckle programme because it gave them a legit way to earn a living.' Paul Burnham, the secretary of the Haringey Defend Council Housing group, said responsibility for gentrification lies with local and central government, not individual businesses. 'Yes, £12 sandwiches are drivers of gentrification but the things that really matter are high house prices and high market rents,' he said. 'If local people had protected, affordable housing, it wouldn't matter how much a local croissant cost. 'This government's goal of building 1.5m new homes doesn't include a target for a single new affordable new home. That means the policy will inflate property prices in local areas and drive out the ordinary people who call those areas home.' The Dusty Knuckle has a string of well-known supporters, including the pastry chef and activist Ravneet Gill and the singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. The two bakeries, cafe and baking school employ 120 local people, with a focus on at-risk, young people who have been involved with the justice system, are care leavers or asylum seekers. Tobias co-founded the Dusty Knuckle after spending years working in schools, charities and prisons. 'I realised I had nothing to offer these young people who were heading towards a life of crime, or were already in one, other than words,' he said. 'I wanted to show them that they could be enterprising, financially self-sustaining and learn skills. I realised that having a buzzing, entrepreneurial, exciting, busy commercial business environment that they could be part of, would be a much more profound way of displaying those values and putting our money where our mouth is, than in a charity.' The graffiti has made Tobias think again about locations of future bakeries. But, he said: 'We'd worry a bit about a London where 'fancy bakeries' can't open next to Turkish grocers. How would we get variety and diversity into neighbourhoods then? 'Also, how often are 'poor communities' included in the public conversation about what their housing and local business landscape looks like?' he asked. 'We suspect a lot of the local businesses selling very cheap food aren't doing so to 'protect the poor'.'
The Guardian
22-11-2024
- The Guardian
Furore sparked by Jamie Oliver children's book cultural appropriation opens wider debate
When British crime writer Elly Griffiths released her fourth novel in the bestselling Ruth Galloway mystery series, she did her homework. A Room Full of Bones, published in 2011 and republished in 2016, features mysterious deaths in horse racing stables and museums. Consequently the East Sussex-based author consulted a UK archaeologist, a UK museum curator, visited West Sussex's Cisswood racing stables and picked the brains of a UK equine veterinarian specialist. But central to the whodunnit plot is, as the author puts it herself, 'Aboriginal skulls, drug smuggling and the mystery of The Dreaming'. On her acknowledgements page Griffiths does not refer to any general research undertaken about First Nations people. Griffiths does mention the issue of repatriating human remains and refers to a children's book written by non-Indigenous Australian John Danalis. Riding the Black Cockatoo tells the true story of how the writer repatriated to its rightful owners in northern Victoria an Indigenous skull that had sat on his parents' mantlepiece throughout his childhood. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Last week Quercus publishing, a division of Hachette UK, told Guardian Australia it had pulled A Room Full of Bones from the shelves. 'Both Quercus and Elly Griffiths are profoundly sorry for the offence caused to readers and acknowledge that a thorough sensitivity read should have taken place,' Quercus' statement said, a statement almost identical to that issued by Penguin Random House UK over the Jamie Oliver book Billy and the Epic Escape a week ago. 'We have agreed to withdraw A Room Full of Bones from further sale at once.' Quercus did not respond to the Guardian's queries about what research Griffiths had undertaken for the Indigenous component of the book. There is no suggestion there are any errors in Danalis' book. The initial complaint to the publisher came from Melbourne clinical psychologist Dr Jari Evertsz, who told the Guardian that, as the Jamie Oliver story broke in Australia, she had just finished reading a book she believed was riddled with 'insulting errors' and incorrect facts about Indigenous culture. That Griffiths had appeared to invest more research into the racing stables in her novel than the First Nations character Bob Woonunga, central to the book's theme of Aboriginal dispossession, was disturbing, Evertsz said. Bob, a poet, wears a possum fur cloak and plays the didgeridoo on the front lawn of his Norfolk countryside house – a place he rents, he tells the protagonist, because it has 'good magic'. He speaks of 'The Great Spirit' – a concept central to some North American First Nations people's spirituality, not Australian – and, at one point, stages a 'smoke ceremony', involving a bonfire set alight in a party-like atmosphere. Bob is an admirer of the work of the real-life deceased literary icon Oodgeroo Noonuccal, the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse. Her name is misspelt as Ooderoo Noonuccal in the novel. 'I'm sure, like Jamie Oliver, Elly Griffiths didn't want to upset anybody, and I'm sure they're both nice people,' Evertsz told the Guardian. 'But I think this reveals something about nice people in Britain who don't think it's important enough to check such facts, that it's OK to use whatever comes to mind. 'Perhaps it's an unconscious process- a sort of automatic default to colonialism.' ABC journalist and Bundjalung and Kullilli writer Daniel Browning was initiated into UK academic circles just two weeks ago, taking up Cambridge University's First Nations writer-in-residence fellowship. His first public gig was a 14 November appearance on BBC Radio 4's program Moral Maze, where the Jamie Oliver controversy was the day's topic of discussion. The show's host, Michael Buerk, disagreed with Browning during the show, adamant that as Oliver had meant no deliberate harm the book should have never been removed from sale. If some people were offended by his portrayal of an Indigenous character, that was their problem, not Oliver's. Browning told the Guardian that bestselling white British writers like Oliver and Griffiths, who 'held all the power in the representation economy', had abrogated their moral responsibility by delivering poorly researched and erroneous works. 'The errors, the stereotyping, what it all goes back to is pure intellectual laziness,' he said. 'These are people who will be read in ways that I will never be read. Blak people who have been writing their whole lives will never be read as much as these guys. And yet they still get to dictate what we look like. 'Well, we are not there for your delectation. We are not there to be used and consumed as you think fit. What you say about us matters. In the representation economy we are 3%, we are never going to have the audience that you have. We are never going to have the number of readers that you have. So when you write something about us, at least check the facts.' Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Publishers in the UK and elsewhere aren't necessarily trawling through their back list after the Oliver controversy, one veteran of the Australian publishing industry told the Guardian. 'It costs money to pull books from shelves, nobody wants to do that,' the source said. 'So it's done only when something erupts and they're forced to manage the issue, because it's all about damage to reputations.' Most major publishing houses do, however, conduct what the industry calls sensitivity checks, where any material deemed controversial, both in fiction and non-fiction titles, is put through an internal cultural filter. That didn't happen in either Oliver's or Griffith's case (Oliver said he asked for one). Both Penguin Random House UK and Quercus/Hachette have said the onus was on them, and they fell short. There is no taboo on non-Indigenous writers mining First Nations themes and creating First Nations characters in their works, but as any creative writing class 101 is likely to be told: write what you know, write what you experience. More than four decades have passed since Thomas Keneally's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith became a Booker prize finalist. In 2001 Keneally told the ABC's Phillip Adams he was wrong to have written the story of Jimmie Blacksmith from the black perspective. During a panel discussion at the 2017 Vivid festival in Sydney Keneally apologised for 'assuming the Aboriginal voice'. 'We can enter other cultures as long as we don't rip them off, as long as we don't loot and plunder, as long as we treat them with cultural respect,' he said. Creative Australia has produced two extensive First Nations-led documents, Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Writing and Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts. Both offer guidelines to writers on avoiding the pitfalls of cultural stereotyping and cultural appropriation, and a warning to publishers they 'should not assume that traditional Indigenous stories are free to be exploited. It is necessary to consult with relevant Indigenous people for permission.' The latter document sites the example of Kate Grenville who, before publishing her 2006 Booker prize finalist The Secret River, consulted extensively among Darug elders and requested Indigenous writer Melissa Lucashenko and Indigenous historian John Maynard read the book in draft form. '[They tactfully pointed out several big mistakes I'd made (eg having Darug play didgeridoos in 1816). As well as picking up areas of my ignorance like that, they reassured me about the value of what I was doing. I'd been anxious that with a non-Indigenous world-view I might, even with the best of intentions, have been offensive or disrespectful.' As of Friday afternoon, A Room Full of Bones was still being advertised on the publisher's and the author's websites.
