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UK firm kept Irish names exclusion list

AAP
Pontins holiday parks in the UK reportedly kept an "undesirable guests" list of Irish surnames.
Camera IconPontins holiday parks in the UK reportedly kept an "undesirable guests" list of Irish surnames.

A chain of holiday parks in Britain kept an "undesirable guests" list of Irish last names in an attempt to keep out members of the Irish Traveller community, the UK equalities watchdog says.

The list kept by Pontins, which was displayed on a staff intranet site, contained about 40 largely Irish names including Cash, Delaney, Gallagher, Murphy and O'Brien.

The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission said Pontins was "directly discriminating on the basis of race" by refusing to serve guests of a particular ethnic group.

It said staff refused or cancelled bookings made by people with an Irish name or accent.

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Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic group similar to, but ethnically distinct from, Roma people.

They are a recognised ethnic minority in the UK, where many have lived for generations, and have long suffered discrimination.

Alastair Pringle, the equality commission's executive director, said it was "hard not to draw comparisons" with "the signs displayed in hotel windows 50 years ago, explicitly barring Irish people and black people".

"Banning people from services based on their race is discrimination and is unlawful," he said.

"To say that such policies are outdated is an understatement."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman, Jamie Davies, said Pontins' behaviour was "completely unacceptable".

"No one in the UK should be discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity," he said.

Founded in the 1940s when foreign holidays were a rarity, Pontins offers inexpensive package holidays by the seaside including accommodations, meals and entertainment.

At the firm's peak, there were about 30 Pontins sites in the UK but only half a dozen are still operating.

The equality commission said Pontins' owner, Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, had signed a legally binding agreement to end its discriminatory practices.

Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd. said in a statement it "has agreed to work together with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to further enhance its staff training and procedures in order to further promote equality throughout its business".

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