Brighton TRAs bullying female small business owner

[SapphosRock]

Urgh. This is happening in my home town and it’s shit.

Happy Maki is a small, vegan cafe and takeaway. It’s a very ethical business. All about sustainability and green energy. They plant a tree and feed a child for each wrap made. It’s a gift economy and the food is free with a suggested donation. All very hippy. You get the idea.

A FTM trans person approached the female owner of Happy Maki and asked for support in fundraising for their top surgery. I believe they wanted a poster in the window asking for money. The owner refused. When pressed the owner said it was against her religious beliefs - she is a follower of the Divine Truth which admittedly sounds a bit ‘out there’ but not entirely unexpected given the nature of her business.

Anyway the TRAs have really gone to town and are posting in every Brighton based Facebook group, Instagram and Twitter accusing the owner of Transphobia and calling for her to apologise:

twitter.com/makiunhappy/status/1314261939833446400?s=21

They seem to be getting a lot of support and gaining a lot of traction too with many saying they are now going to boycott the business.

I’m upset about this for a lot of reasons. Obviously the female owner being bullied and harassed in this way and them encouraging people to email her. The lovely takeaway losing business. It’s also pretty tone deaf to attack the hospitality sector in the midst of a global pandemic for not supporting one individual’s elective, life changing surgery.

Anyway, the reason I’m posting here is in solidarity with the owner Anna. And if any of you lovely lot are nearby then consider getting a Happy Maki takeaway. The food is delicious and I’m sure they could do with some support right now.

www.happymaki.co.uk

They are a one issue pony.

Care about starving kids? But no - X needs surgery.
Granny sick in hospital? But no won’t someone thinks of x’s surgery?
Civilians being bombed? But X! X! X!

@Caroncanta

I'm going to report the unhappy maki FB page for harrassment. I really think the owner should go to the police as well. I don't think it takes much searching on FB to find the main perpetrators. They need to be prosecuted and forced to pay compensation for trying to bribe someone on the threat of taking their business down. Set an exam of what will happen to the next activist who gets to bring someone's business down for 'wrong think'.

I did that too. I also previously reported lots of Facebook posts dedicated to harassing JK Rowling and they were deemed not to be breaking rules. So it will be interesting to see what they do with the unhappy Maki page.

Sod and all I suspect.

@Caroncanta

I'm going to report the unhappy maki FB page for harrassment. I really think the owner should go to the police as well. I don't think it takes much searching on FB to find the main perpetrators. They need to be prosecuted and forced to pay compensation for trying to bribe someone on the threat of taking their business down. Set an exam of what will happen to the next activist who gets to bring someone's business down for 'wrong think'.

You want people arrested for criticising their former employer online?

Just wow. The Stasi is alive and well.

There’s quite a big difference between criticism and creating a stink to try to bully her out of business.

You want people arrested for criticising their former employer online?

She said what they should be arrested for in the post you quoted

@FairFriday

There’s quite a big difference between criticism and creating a stink to try to bully her out of business.

They are entitled to leave their jobs. They are entitled to release a statement explaining why. They are entitled to ask people to email that business in support.

Fucking hell, wait until you hear about picket lines.

They are entitled to leave their jobs. They are entitled to release a statement explaining why. They are entitled to ask people to email that business in support

What they said goes far beyond that.

Fucking hell, wait until you hear about picket lines

Which of course never involved threatening or intimidating behaviour.

Not only heard of them but been on some. Oh shock horror. Wasn’t for hurty feelings though...

They are entitled to leave their jobs. They are entitled to release a statement explaining why. They are entitled to ask people to email that business in support.

They are. And they weren't entitled to furlough because of it. Sour grapes. And taking a woman's business down because of their own actions is unacceptable and needs to be addressed within the law.

What they said goes far beyond that.

if Anna believes the statement is libellous she is free to take action in the civil court. It is no matter for the police and it is not a criminal offence. All the workers have done is asked people to post on social media and email the business owner. You know like you do here all the time, there's entire threads on here urging people to boycott businesses, cheering stickers being stuck on their windows, and all the rest of it. Should M&S or Starbucks call the police and try get people prosecuted?

@Caroncanta

They are entitled to leave their jobs. They are entitled to release a statement explaining why. They are entitled to ask people to email that business in support.

They are. And they weren't entitled to furlough because of it. Sour grapes. And taking a woman's business down because of their own actions is unacceptable and needs to be addressed within the law.

They haven't broken any laws.

And suggesting people steal food (take it and refuse to pay is stealing) isn’t a crime?

How are they trying to get money off someone? They aren't even asking for compensation for constructive disimissal (and they should be in my view). How is a facebook post and a couple of tweets criticising a business harassment? Half this forum would be locked up if that was the case.

The nasty little cunts that set up a Facebook page bullying her make me sick. It's disturbing and disgusting. They are vermin. Reported but of course fb said the page is fine 🙄

@FairFriday

And suggesting people steal food (take it and refuse to pay is stealing) isn’t a crime?

Has anyone done it? Have the workers suggested that or was it some random flippant comment on social media? And surely the entire point of pay what you feel is that it isn't a crime to err pay what you feel.

I remember a really nice ‘donation’ cafe in Paris. It was veggie I seem to remember.

@Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel

The nasty little cunts that set up a Facebook page bullying her make me sick. It's disturbing and disgusting. They are vermin. Reported but of course fb said the page is fine 🙄

See this is far more extreme than anything the workers have said. Why is this language okay about workers fine but the slightest criticism of a business owner and there are demands for prosecutions.

Hilarious, JJ, that you pretend that women's boundaries might very well be breaking the law, in several different ways. But harassment and intimidation, to you, is perfectly fine.

Nasty little double standards.