A puppeteer who has been putting on his Punch and Judy show for English children for the past 15 years is likely to have his show banned by councillors in the Cornish town of Bodmin in southwestern England.
Bodmin’s Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre had bombarded Reg Payn (48) the town’s officially licensed puppeteer with leaflets on domestic violence, The Times reported on Friday.
”They harassed the audience, accusing me of promoting domestic violence against women and threw leaflets at me,” Payn told the newspaper.
”Children of four and five know the difference between puppets and reality. I’m a father and a husband and I’ve no intention of promoting violent behaviour,” he added.
In the traditional show, Punch beats up his wife Judy, lies about it to the policeman and also batters his child, the policeman and even the devil. It was introduced to England from Italy during the reign of Charles II in the 17th century.
The show contains asides of a topical and usually scurrilous nature for the benefit of the adults standing behind the children seated on the ground.
The children are encouraged to join in by pointing out to Punch that he is not telling the truth to the policeman. ”Oh yes you did, Mr Punch,” and ”You’re fibbing, Mr Punch,” are common cries.
”It’s part of our heritage, an old tradition,” Payn said.
But Maggie Parks, director of the abuse centre, said: ”It’s appalling that children are encouraged to sit, watch and laugh at a baby’s head being battered and a woman being beaten up with a stick when one in four women experience domestic violence.”
Bodmin would decide on the issue next month, and if it passed a ban it would become the first council in Britain to outlaw the characters.
Newcastle City Council had to rescind a similar ban when it emerged that the official who recommended it had never seen a performance. – Sapa-DPA