Tommy Robinson asked to leave a restaurant because staff felt uncomfortable serving him…

[harriethoyle]

… AIBU to enjoy this?!

If you spout objectionable views, don’t be surprised if people object to you!

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tommy-robinson-kicked-out-hawksmoor-london-b1231594.html

They've caved into their young staff or they are hiding behind them. All round, it's liberal nimby pamby politics dictating. The tail is wagging the dog. I bet if this was about TRA, the result would be different.

The groups that are annoyed about this, are the same ones that supported a bakery for refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple…and support pubs refusing to serve groups of Travellers .. only annoyed at a Service Provider refusing to provide a service, when it effects them.

Robinson is a dog whistle racist … who needs to remember that “free speech” does not mean “free of consequence”

Also be interesting to see if that policy had been drawn up prior to today.

A VERY good point.

‘this was not about politics or beliefs’

They haven't actually explained what it was about - why were staff and guests uncomfortable if not for Robinson's politics or beliefs?

No it's not. The establishment and staff have a common law right to refuse service as long as it's not discriminatory.

Smoke and mirrors.

Barrack room lawyers. No more for me tonight.

Them's the facts. No emojis? 😞

Nite x

I don’t like this man or agree with his views but I think chucking people out of places on the basis of their views is a slippery slope (and we’ve seen very clearly in recent years what can happen when you start on this tack). If he was being disruptive in the restaurant that’s a different matter of course.

Okay, fine - while everyone HAS at least some protected characteristics, and it is generally unlawful to discriminate based on them, there are likely more instances where you can lawfully exclude certain demographics than others (for example, it'd probably be far easier to have a support from for gay people than straight one).

But everyone has at least some protected characteristics, and its wrong to say that some do and some don't (or, to extrapolate from your example, that Irish Travelers have a protected characteristic whereas white British people do not).

Why do white British people not have a protected characteristic?

Sorry, I misread your post.

I don't perceive many people are doing this (yes, some are) but as a Jew I actually find it pretty offensive to compare people objecting to Robinson to unjustified prejudice again Jews from people who have no concept of what views Jews they are being prejudiced against may hold. But by all means keep digging that hole....

I’m a white British person who has several protected characteristics - age, sex, marriage and sexual orientation. If I were religious I’d have another one.

The restaurant has a duty of care towards its staff particularly if they employ staff who aren't white. They shouldn't have to serve Robinson & his crew, they would rightly feel intimidated serving a well known racist thug like him. It is right that the restaurant barred him.

Yes, I 👍 agree.

But they don't they show the opposite. If what you were saying was correct Pakistani men would commit 2.6% or less of all sexual assaults/rape/grooming offences as they make up 2.6% of the population instead they count for over 6% that is a massive over representation and needs to be addressed (yes so should the rest but when any group is more than twice as likely to commit a specific type of crime than their peers of the majority population then that needs to be publicly recognised and addressed ASAP). It's not racist to recognise that fact and nobody should be shamed for pointing it out. If we can't speak about it we can't change /fix it

In that case the restaurant would have to show there was a credible risk to those employees. Given that one of the party is Asian that wouldn't be a reasonable claim anyway.

As someone who managed several successful restaurants over the decades I can tell you that you're wrong political beliefs fall under the protected characteristic of belief/religion and if you refused to serve a customer because of their beliefs you'd be sacked on the spot for gross misconduct (discriminating against a person because of their protected characteristic (good luck trying to sue for unlawful sacking)).
The protected characteristic of belief/religion covers everything from the belief that men can never be women right through to women are nothing but a feeling in a man's head, from immigration is the best thing in the history of the world to its the end of western civilisation, from God created the world in 6 days to Darwinian theory and everything in between. As such you don't get to refuse someone service just because you find their beliefs offensive and/or wrong

Could you link to the data please?

Not even if he's a dangerous criminal and former member of a far right organisation?

...unless they eminate from a right wing, high profile white man. The whole thing stinks. Somebody mentioned JKR earlier and I think they had a point. Look at all the crap she's getting. You can just imagine the pressure to eject her from certain public places. Of course, we will be told but that's different, she's not broken the law.

Lack of religious belief is a protected characteristic, so congratulations!