No Jews...

[sp1814]

What do you make of this story?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sports-direct-security-guard-banned-jewish-schoolboys-and-told-them-no-jews-no-jews-9735919.html

I would be particularly interested to hear the opinion of those who supported the Christian B&B couple who refused a let a room because of their religious convictions.

Were Sports Direct right to sack this security guard?

If so, why?

Me I think is was totally right to remove this guard, as this is *competely* unacceptable.

However, I believe there are some people who think that shops and service providers should have free will...

So...is there anyone who agrees with the actions of this guard?

And if so, why?

[Ellipsis]

The thing about the B&B is that they were inviting people into their home. Not that I agree with it, but it's clearly a different situation - a lot more personal than a Sports Direct - and anyway, the B&B owners lost too ...

[Jeza]

When we were younger Mic's best friend was a jew, a lovely woman and tried everything in her power to get Mic to convert. Just saying.

[Jeza]

Should have said his best friends mother.

[sp1814]

Ellipsis

The B&B owners were using their homes as a place of business. That's the similarity.

Once you use your home as a business, you have yo abide by certain laws.

For instance, if I (hypothetically) converted part of my home into a cheese-making business for commercial gain, I would have to abide by strict health and safety / hygiene laws.

However, these laws don't apply if I simply want to make cheese for my family, and not for profit.

[Ellipsis]

Thanks for the lecture, but

a) I agree that they should not have been allowed to discriminate
b) they lost their case

I was simply pointing out that letting somebody into your home, even if it is partly your place of business, is a lot different to letting that same person into a Sports Direct store or any "public" place.

[sandyRoe]

Could he have said: No yoofs, fearing they were a gang of schoolboy shoplifters?

[Obiter]

In my younger days it was quite common, especially in pubs, to see the sign,"The management reserve the right to refuse service without giving a reason". This has been superseded by statute law.

[sp1814]

Obiter,

That's not quite true.

Every establishment still has the right to refuse service, and provide no reason for the refusal.

That has not changed.

What *has* changed is that businesses are not allowed to discriminate based on race, sex, disability, religion, sexuality and age.

Also, just to point out something - Equality Act 2010 was an amalgamation of 116 different set of regulations which were already in existence.

[Obiter]

How odd! So any institution can refuse service legally providing they don't say, "Because you're black. muslim, gay or whatever"

[sp1814]

Obiter

In a nutshell - yes.

[sandyRoe]

If you asked them why they wouldn't serve you and got the reply, 'I don't like the cut of your jib', would that be the end of it?

[Obiter]

Seemingly, if sp 1814 is to be believed.

[Mamyalynne]

Stupid security guard, stupid remarks, deserves sacking.

[Huderon]

Sports Direct removed him from his post (he was not directly employed by them) and they were correct to do so. His behaviour was unacceptable, prejudiced, possibly anti-Semitic given that other boys from the same school were not refused entry since their uniforms were covered.

However I fail to see what this incident has to do with the B&B case. This appears, based on the report, to be a case of prejudice exercised by an individual who was neither the owner of the store nor an employee, but who was in a position to refuse entry to some people. There is nothing in the report which indicates any religious convictions on the part of the security guard.

[janbee]

Was the guard from the 9th century? Good for SD in that they sacked him. Maybe they shouldn't have hired him in the first place.

[joggerjayne]

There are plenty of bases of discrimination not covered by statute.

You could refuse to serve someone because ... you have long hair ... you're too tall ... or short ... you're wearing sandals ... etc

[mikey4444]

If this was not so widely reported, I wouldn't have believed it ! Sports Direct acted swiftly however, and this stupid action does not reflect on them at all.

Stupid bigots exist in all walks of life and we must deal with them when we encounter them.

But how did he know they were Jewish ? Were they Hasidic Jews for example ?

[mikey4444]

Hear is the school in question. It looks like rather a good school to me ::

http://www.yavnehcollege.org/

[naomi24]

//But how did he know they were Jewish ?//

I expect because it's a faith school with an identifiable uniform - the yarmulkes could have been a clue.

[mikey4444]

Yes...I can see that now Naomi...thanks.