Residents in Staines-upon-Thames have hit out after a former councillor suggested building a landmark to honour the town’s most infamous fictional son – branding the association a “bad smell that never leaves”.
The backlash comes after Alex Balkan, 29, launched a petition calling for the Surrey town to embrace the decades-old link to Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Ali G.
His ideas include a larger-than-life sculpture, an interactive photo spot and a QR code rewarding donations to local youth projects with random Ali G quotes.
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The petition has attracted 332 signatures, enough to force a council discussion on 8 September – but not everybody is yelling “Booyakasha”.
Critics have told Alex he has “too much time on his hands” and should “get a job” – despite him already working full-time.
Others have been even less complimentary.
“One particularly memorable public comment described Ali G as a ‘bad smell that never leaves’ and said they preferred telling people they came from neighbouring Laleham,” Alex told Need To Know.
“One of my favourites is being told that one day people will point at me and say, ‘Hey look, it’s the idiot!’
“One councillor said, ‘You are NUTS’ – I can’t disagree with that one.”
The campaign is a pointed reversal of the town’s own past efforts to distance itself from the joke.
In 2012, the town formally became Staines-upon-Thames as part of a rebrand designed to promote its riverside image, with contemporary reports saying distancing it from years of Ali G jokes was among the motivations.
Now Alex, a former councillor for Runnymede Borough Council, wants to stop running from the joke and cash in on it instead.
He said: “I don’t want a landmark people simply walk past.
“I want something people make a detour for.
“My instinct is that it should be fun and interactive rather than solemn.
“Something unmistakably Ali G that people actually want to stand next to, photograph and share.”
Ali G first appeared on screens in the late 1990s and claimed to lead the fictional gang, Da West Staines Massiv.
A new film, Ali G: Who Iz I?, is due for release in October, giving Alex the push to launch his campaign.
The idea originally came from conversations with his partner, Beth, and friends, while Alex was a student at nearby Royal Holloway.
He says the group would sit in a Wetherspoons near a location used in Ali G Indahouse and discuss creating a landmark which could also raise money for local young people.
Alex set a tight deadline for signatures to ensure the council considers the petition well before the movie release.
More than 100 signatures came from people working in Staines businesses.
Local business Eggham on Toast even funded leaflet distribution, with Alex and Beth covering around half the town to drum up support.
At the time of writing, Alex says three councillors had responded in support, one opposed the idea and another said they would keep an open mind.
He added that the majority of the 15 committee members had yet to respond to his briefing email.
Despite the criticism, Alex says his full-time job hasn’t stopped him campaigning, because social media makes it easy to spread the message through local groups.
He also credits “a tad of madness” with helping him shrug off criticism, although he now deliberately leaves his phone at home when going out with Beth.
The former councillor insists he is not asking taxpayers to immediately fund a giant bronze Ali G.
Instead, he wants councillors to explore a temporary attraction first and measure whether it actually draws visitors, increases spending and benefits businesses.
He said: “If visitors come to Staines because of Ali G, it would be great if some of that attention could support affordable sport, arts, leisure and youth activities locally.”
One supportive councillor has even suggested an outdoor screening of the new Ali G film in a local park.
Alex has also contacted Sacha Baron Cohen’s representatives and film publicity team, although he has no confirmation the comedian himself has seen the campaign.
He added: “Sacha, if you’re reading this: big up Staines.
“Give us a call.”
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