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THE GOVERNMENT HAS been told that pubs and restaurants have been the subject of coordinated online abuse and fake reviews this week by those opposing the use of Covid-19 vaccine certs to attend indoor dining.
The Restaurant Association of Ireland has written a letter to the Government about the issue, as well as to Facebook and Google. It is to contact the Garda Commissioner over ‘fraudulent’ posts that it said is causing its members’ businesses to suffer.
A Facebook page with hundreds of members which opposes the use of vaccine certificates has seen users post the names of businesses that have reopened indoor dining and resulted in hundreds of comments being left on businesses’ Facebook posts announcing their reopening.
Many of the negative comments on these businesses’ pages are from Facebook accounts which give their location as being far away from the pub or restaurant.
When asked about the page, Facebook said it does not violate its rules.
One-star reviews are also being left on Google reviews for businesses that have reopened indoor dining. Many accounts posting one-star reviews that cite “discrimination” or a “two-tier” system have left similar reviews on multiple businesses across the country.
This comes after hospitality owners said last week that they had experienced false bookings, and staff had experienced abuse over the phone and on social media by people opposed to the Digital Covid Certificate.
CEO of the Restaurant Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins has written a letter to the Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin to state that its members have reported fake bookings and reviews on various platforms this week. The letter says:
As per our members, those leaving reviews are directly impacting upon the competitiveness of these businesses and their ability to trade.
“Fake bookings and reviews are a malicious, concerted and coordinated campaign of fraudulent misrepresentation towards small businesses who are simply adhering to the law of the land.”
‘Medical apartheid’
On the Facebook page of around 600 members, people opposed to the use of Covid certificates to reopen indoor dining have been posting the names of businesses that are reopening to criticise them, and praising the businesses which have chosen not to reopen.
Members of the group encourage others to leave comments on the Facebook posts of businesses that reopen indoor dining and request vaccine certificates.
Businesses have been called “sellouts” and accused of “medical apartheid”. Members of the group have encouraged others to boycott the business.
One comment read: “If you keep doing everything the government tells you, you will go bust. Show your loyalty to the people, not the government and stand up for yourself.”
Another said: “Shocking the lack of courage amongst the hospitality sector. Agreeing to this apartheid system for any reason is surely a measure of hypocrisy, never mind the fact that they are ALL enabling the new racism.”
Unfounded and conspiratorial claims against President Michael D Higgins have also been posted in the group, after he signed the indoor dining legislation that made it law.
One post shared a screenshot from a Sligo bar and restaurant that announced the reopening of its indoor dining facilities.
The post on the restaurant’s page now has over 600 comments underneath it, with many of the negative comments from profiles that state the user is from areas far away from Sligo – including Tralee in Co Kerry, Leixlip in Co Kildare, and Cork. The vast majority of the positive comments are from profiles that state the user is from Co Sligo.
A profile that states the user is from Leixlip wrote: ”Wow. Supporting medical apartheid and discrimination. Certainly have lost my business forever. Won’t be setting my foot here ever again.”
In response to the volume of comments, the Sligo bar had to ask users to “be nice to each other and staff members of all businesses that will be opening” indoor dining.
A pub-restaurant based in Dublin had a similar experience after its details were posted on the Facebook page, with over 300 comments on its reopening post, while a pub in Cork had over 120 comments on its reopening post.
Negative Google reviews
Several profiles have left numerous negative reviews of restaurants that have reopened indoor dining across the country on Google’s review system. One user left 21 reviews on restaurants and pubs across the country that mention “discrimination” or a “two-tier” society.
One review by this person on a Cork bar said: “A pint of discrimination please”.
These reviews claim that they are supporting a “two-tier system”, and “supports the discrimination of healthy people”.
Another negative review read: “A nasty unfriendly place to visit, very happy to facilitate a two tier society, and discriminate against people, food well below par.”
Another said: “Likes to discriminate against people who choose not to take a experimental injection. Shame on you.”
Some of the same profiles that left comments criticising the acceptance of Covid certificates have also criticised the food and service of these businesses.
In response to questions from The Journal, a Facebook spokesperson said: “The Facebook Page does not break our policies. The posts are people discussing businesses that are choosing to open or remain closed for indoor dining.”
The decision to reopen indoor dining
On 12 July, the government approved the reopening of indoor dining to those who are fully vaccinated, based on the National Public Health Emergency Team’s advice issued in response to the surge of the Delta variant of Covid-19.
Since Monday, the new law has been in force, allowing some pubs to open for the first time since the pandemic began. Those who are not vaccinated can still dine outdoors.
Opposition TDs and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties have raised concerns about creating a “two-tier” system by requiring a Covid cert for indoor dining, and raised the possibility that it could be extended for other activities.
The Government have argued that they can either open indoor dining now for the fully vaccinated, or keep those businesses closed until more people are vaccinated and the current fourth wave – fuelled by the Delta variant – abates.
“It is imperfect, but I believe it is better than any alternative available to us,” Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told the Dáil. Labour leader Alan Kelly responded to say that he would be surprised if Varadkar himself wasn’t “uncomfortable” with the legislation.
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Is it me or do we have a situation in many countries now where its like how low can the political class go these days…..or is it a case we are all just seeing it more clearly now cos doesnt seem like Ireland or England have any political parties capable of running a bath without doing something stupid or being caught out
@Tom Newell: No shame or modesty in any of them.
@Tom Newell: I think the UK and US have been showing the world that the way to get ahead in politics is to lie like a rug and tell everyone what they want to hear, stoke prejudices and hate then rise on a tide of the unthinking.
There was an Austrian who did something similar a while back, he caused a bit of bother.
@Tom Newell: mainly it’s a result of politicians slowly realising just how susceptible humans are to propaganda. Get enough media outlets onside, spend enough on targeted social media ads and bot farms, and you can pretty much get away with anything. This allows con-artists, shameless liars and assorted dummies to flourish eg Trump and Boris. They surround themselves with other like-minded souls, and you wind up with the modern Conservative party, for example.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: There was a country also in the Middle East that lied about UNRWA which the U.S and the UK we’re only to happy to believe without the slightest bit of evidence been put forward, I’m proud of the fact that Ireland didn’t fall for these blatant propaganda lies.
@Tom Newell:
It’s the people who vote them in. Society has to take the blame too. Any muppet can run these days and get elected.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: you would be accused of sensationalism by some but unfortunately it is frightening how true this may actually be
@Tom Newell: It seems to be a right-wing political disease, more so that anyone else.
Although no group is immune.
I’ll bet you a €1000 they didn’t bet on winning the election!!!
Labour set to gain the biggest amount of seats in UK history. What has the UK shifting leftwards?
@9QRixo8H: there isn’t another genuine alternative?.
@Ger Whelan:
Agreed, a lot of people vote against someone, rather than voting for the opposition.
Lesser of two evils as such, especially in a 2 party system like the UK and the US.
@Ger Whelan: there are a myriad of genuine alternatives. The people just simple support Labour.
@9QRixo8H: is there? Other than The conservatives and labour please name one party that is running enough candidates to be able to form a government on their own?.
Insider trading is par for the course in the political elite. So they didn’t think it was something they could be caught for.
@Conrad Shields: should be sho t tied to the bonnet of a.jeep and driven around .two to put him down, two to put him out and one to stick.the jeep
I don’t think any politican cares about the people its all about themselves and money
We dont have to look very far in our own backyard to find how thick and ignorant the electorate can be.A certain family in Kerry and that shyster down in Tipperary can do no wrong apparently.A bit like Trump supporters, simple folk.
@carol mullen:
I don’t live in either area but it’s obvious that they get things done for locals. I wouldn’t call them thick or ignorant…they are voting for people who are getting things done in the areas…e.g roads,hospitals etc..they are nothing like trump supporters
@carol mullen: I hear that family raises the best politicians that money can buy.
The big question is did he bet on the correct date?
Has admitted to putting a flutter on the date of the election. Always trying to select words to trivialise their own dishonesty. He could also have said used insider knowledge to gamble on an election they know they will lose to enrich himself.
Recent polls show the Tories and LibDems pretty much neck-and-neck for 2nd/3rd place, with each getting around 50+ seats in parliament.
Another poll – but this should be considered an outlier – shows Farrage’s group becoming the 2nd largest party in parliament, and therefore the official opposition.
But polls, as we have seen, have not been particularly reliable in recent times.
Like, Ballydole inside information
How do you bury damaging news in the news cycle when almost everything your government does is inept or unethical. What do you try to distract with?
If someone is dumb enough to offer that bet, then why is this a problem?
@Thesaltyurchin: Exactly. And if a person who knew the election date was dumb enough NOT to put a bet on……….!
@Thesaltyurchin: it’s the same as a player picking up a yellow card after he’s backed it. It’s called ethics.
@marklars81: Not really tho, that situation is one of individual merit, so ‘a player’ decides 1) if they get a yellow and 2) when that is. Whereas this situation the outcome is not controlled by the individual? Unless the data officer decides when the English go to vote. Seems really stupid that someone would accept that bet, in a way they sort of deserve to loose.
The toxic social and media environment would put any honest person getting into politics.
Re alleged knife attack in Phoenix Park today: Bring on judge marty No…, with his special advisor, judge o’donnell from Limk & we’ll have the perpetrators out in no time. Nothing can go wrong.
Tories won’t be winning that’s for certain.
Any significant amount of money placed on ridiculous bets such as that for big returns which would be correct would immediately get flagged for investigation before paying out. Who bets to win big on rubbish like that?
@Dan The Man: Gamblers.
Whilst betting on the election date is unethical, inappropriate and unseemly, it is hardly a hanging offence!
Is the rise of the “believe anything” brigade linked to the development of social media? Seems like we’re all being manipulated to think lies are the truth….
I reckon it was just a lucky guess!
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