Vintners slammed over threatened traveller ban

The National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism has condemned the Vintners Federation of Ireland for threatening to ban travellers from 6,000 pubs outside Dublin.

The NCCRI said such a move would be a blatant act of discrimination and would not be tolerated if it was aimed against coloured people, Jews or Protestants.

The threatened ban is the latest move by the vintners against equality legislation which has led to many claims by travellers against publicans.

However, Phillip Watt of the NCCRI said the problem is caused by some publicans and not by the Equal Status Act.

"The Vintners Federation has put out this spin that the equality legislation is a charter for bad behaviour. That is not the case," he said.

"What they are objecting to is that some of their pubs, who have discriminated against travellers for years, have been fined for doing so and they are out to protect those pubs and that is what we are objecting to."