Press Releases
............PRESS RELEASE.....20th May 2002............
The Vintner's Federation of Ireland is conducting an orchestrated campaign - based on lies and misinformation - against the Equal Status Act 2000, Pavee Point Travellers' Centre said today.
Recent weeks has seen the Vintners' Federation take out a series of quarter page adverstisements attacking the Equal Status Act in at least 13 of the regional newspapers. They have made numerous public statements in relation to Travellers uptake of the legislation in an attempt to garner support for their own stance.
This public campaign is continuing despite the fact that the Liquor Licensing Commission has been given a specific remit in terms of recommending changes to equality legislation.
"Up until the Equal Status Act was introduced it was not possible, in the case of discrimination, to challenge vintners or other service providers in law - and this challenge seems to be one vintners are reacting to in an aggressively defensive manner," said Ronnie Fay, Pavee Point Director.
"The nature and depth of inequality in Ireland is such that many groups and individuals are discriminated against on a daily basis yet this has been and continues to be invisible to the more powerful groups," she added.
Vintners claim that because of this legislation, they are obstructed in running a safe and orderly house. The fact of the matter is that for many groups named in the Equal Status Act, pubs were not safe places. Instead they were places where fear and humiliation were the order of the day.
"For the Vintners Federation to state that the safety of pub customers is threatened by the Equal Status Act is totally irresponsible," said Martin Collins, Assistant Director of Pavee Point. " Section 15 of the Act specifically refers to public order and enables vintners to refuse service to anyone who threatens the safety of pub customers or pub property."
"The Equal Status Act does not present an excuse for bad behaviour - nor did any of the groups who lobbied for it ever intend it to do so," said Mr. Collins.
"If Vintners want to treat all customers equally they should embrace equality legislation and examine how their policies and procedures can progress equality," he said.
"To mount a concerted public campaign against the Equal Status Act is surely proof that the Federation is not in favour of equality," he added.
ENDS.