CAMPAIGNERS want a pub called The Midget to change its “offensive” name despite it celebrating a town’s classic car.
MG models, including the Midget, were built in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, from 1929 until 1979.
The Magic Midget pub opened in 1974, with its name shortened in 2000.
Nearly 700 people have now signed a petition against the name.
Protest organiser Erin Pritchard said pub bosses “should recognise the offence of the term and its implications”.
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Dr Pritchard, a lecturer in Disability and Education at Liverpool Hope University, added: “Midget is a derogatory word used towards people with dwarfism.
“It is a term derived from the word ‘midge’ meaning Gnat or Sand-fly, which is dehumanising.
“The origins of the name of that car come from freak show terminology, which is disablist hate speech and flouts the Equality Act.”
He said owner Greene King has “great opportunities to celebrate the area’s car-making history by using a more appropriate name, such as Riley or Austin-Healey”.
Greene King said: “As an inclusive business we want everyone to feel welcome in our pubs.
“With this in mind, and given the negative connotations, we are assessing the current name.”
