The man stated that during the conversation Mr Bittles pointed to a group of men on his left and said: “You have not been in here for about three years and we don’t serve Protestants, only joking, no I’m not.” Apparently, many other customers cheered at this remark.

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland provides support in this case. According to their representative, the incident left the man feeling “embarrassed and intimidated” and he left the bar right away. He filed a report with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and they recorded it as a hate crime. 

According to Geraldine McGahey, Chief Commissioner of the commission: “This is a reminder to all businesses serving the public that they have responsibilities under the anti-discrimination laws. People are protected from religious belief and political opinion discrimination in the provision of a wide range of services. It is important that customers do not feel intimidated or degraded because of their religious beliefs.”

The man expressed his grave disappointment following the incident: “I just wanted to have a drink. I’d been to Bittles Bar many times before over the years. The landlord knows me, and I was shocked by his comments and was really concerned by the reaction of the people in the bar. I honestly thought the days of this type of behaviour in Northern Ireland were behind us. I felt I had to challenge it, so I reported it to the police and contacted the Equality Commission.”

Northern Ireland has witnessed decades of violence due to political and nationalistic conflicts, called The Troubles, which lasted for about thirty years. It started in the late 1960s and it was supposed to end with The Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Despite all the efforts, religious discrimination still exists in the region. 

Source: https://premierchristian.news/