ONE OF the largest pub chains in the UK has rejected charges of racial discrimination against Irish Travellers after a group who attended a London meeting last week, including a police officer, a priest and a solicitor, were refused entry to one of its pubs.
Following the Irish Travellers’ Movement in Britain meeting, a group including the chairman of the movement, Fr Joe Brown, the head of diversity for Cheshire constabulary, Insp Mark Watson, and the movement’s solicitor, Martin Howe, went to the nearby Coronet pub for a drink shortly before 5pm.
However, they were refused entry. Following protests by Insp Watson, they were allowed in to speak to the manager, who was not there – but only on condition that Insp Watson took responsibility for the group.
The chief executive of JD Wetherspoon, John Hutson, said: “We absolutely refute any racial discrimination.” The decision by the manager to refuse entry to “large groups” emerging from the Traveller movement’s annual general meeting was sanctioned by the chain’s area manager and by staff at JD Wetherspoon’s head office, he said.
“Wetherspoon has 830 pubs across the UK and our pubs are open to everyone. If the people involved with this incident wish to report Wetherspoon, then we will be more than happy to co-operate with any investigation, as we have nothing to hide,” said Mr Hutson.
“We fully support the manager and staff at the Coronet pub. The manager at the pub is extremely experienced and has worked at the Coronet for more than 10 years. In the past there had been a disturbance both inside the pub and on the street outside, following an event at the resource centre, leading to arrests. He felt that there was a potential for disturbance if large groups were admitted to the pub following the meeting of Irish Travellers at the resource centre in Holloway Road.”
Insp Watson has already brought the matter to the attention of the police, while the Irish Travellers’ Movement in Britain wrote yesterday to Wetherspoon to warn that it would take a civil action under the Equality Act.
In his statement, Mr Hutson said the Coronet’s manager had extra security on duty who blocked two groups from entering – the first one including Insp Watson and “a group of 15 Irish Travellers came to the pub at the same time and were refused entry because of the size of the group.
“It was not because they were Irish Travellers, but simply because they were a large group,” said Mr Hutson.
In response, the Traveller movement’s solicitor, Martin Howe, said Mr Hutson’s remarks “show a complete lack of transparency in relation to the actual circumstances of this racist incident, and an understanding of equality law that befits a staff handbook from the 1970s”.
“I am astonished with the company’s approach, and cannot understand why they have not immediately recognised and apologised for their mistreatment of those of us who had attempted to gain entry to the pub following the Travellers’ conference,” he said.
“It seems the only way to change attitudes in this company is via litigation, and I have every intention to gain justice for those affected by this company’s horrible racist action. Mr Hutson and his staff will now explain themselves to a judge, under oath, in a court of law.”
