A PUB has caused a social media storm after seemingly posting that it planned to bar SNP voters or members when hospitality establishments re-open next week.
Yessers angrily shared screengrabs allegedly showing the Caledonian Bar in Forfar, Angus, laying out its rules for opening on July 15, stating “we will not be admitting those over 70, care home workers without test evidence and there shall be no admittance to any SNP voters or members".
The post is not visible on the pub’s social media. Currently, the pub’s Twitter account shows there has been no activity since November 3, while its Facebook account appears to have been deactivated.
But The National was able to identify a personal Twitter account claiming links to the pub under the name @marvinreido15, which shared similar posts about not wanting to admit “SNP zombies” and called the First Minister a “dog” and a “ginger wannabe Hitler”.
According to Angus Council’s licensing records, Martin David Reid has been the Caledonian Bar’s licensee since June 2015.
READ MORE: Pubs in England shut again after punters test positive for Covid-19
A post on this Twitter account also shows a utilities letter, allegedly received by the user, addressed to a Martin David Reid at the Caledonian Bar. This account has posted similar claims to those in the post apparently made by the Caledonian Bar Twitter profile.
Angry about pubs remaining closed throughout the coronavirus lockdown, it tweeted on June 10 to say: “The SNP do not want pubs to survive, they don’t care about the hospitality industry. So when we eventually escape the little control freaks [sic] vice like grip, there will be an absolute ban on all SNP voter zombies from all of my premises, permanently.”
An update from Yes Arbroath on the Caledonian Bar in Forfar pic.twitter.com/eTuz76CUUS
— 🆓🏴 PG Lass for Indy (@RootsoScotland) July 7, 2020
In another post on June 23, anger was expressed over new rules stating pub owners should take customers’ details so contact tracing can be carried out if any test positive for Covid-19. The post said: “What has the hospitality sector done to make Sturgeon hate us so much. If we ever re-open, never ever again shall I allow any SNP member or voter through my doors.”
In other tweets, the account holder called the First Minister a “dog” and shared images of Sturgeon with a Photoshopped moustache calling her a “wee ginger wannabe Hitler”.
When asked about the alleged Caledonian Bar posts threatening to ban SNP voters and members, @marvinreido15 told The National: “To be honest this was initially a joke between myself and a few of my very regular customers, older lads all of whom are committed nationalists, who are begging for the bar to re-open, and this was a joke which seems to have gone terribly wrong.
“As such the posts have been removed and I fully expect all my regulars to return regardless of age, vocation or political alignment. There are no exclusions from the bar unless for antisocial behaviour that would require a patron to be removed, as in any public house.”
READ MORE: Devi Sridhar shares screenshots of vile abuse sent during pandemic
When asked about the tweets from the personal account linked to the bar, including the one branding SNP supporters “zombies”, the user blocked our reporter after saying: “I didn’t and I don’t give permission to print anything or quote me in any way, but I am aware you will do whatever you wish.
“Perhaps the Border control threats would be a better story for you to run.”
Yes supporters were furious when the tweet first emerged. Sharing a post from the personal account, which appeared to be slating the Scottish Government, one Twitter user said: “Yesterday he made the big mistake of doing it on his pub’s account. He deserves all the negative backlash his business gets.”
Another responded to a post: “Don’t worry Marvin, no-one will be rushing to the Caledonian Bar.”
And one turned to Murdo Fraser and Jackson Carlaw – who has been blasting the First Minister in recent days for taking “48 hours” to condemn the Border protests – to say: “Are you going to condemn this shocking and inexcusable bigotry and xenophobia?! ... The longer you go without condemning the more disgraceful it is.”
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