A tribunal has dismissed an equality claim by a customer who alleged a security guard called him a queer and ejected him from a McDonald's due to prejudice against his homosexuality. The security guard denied using homophobic language and was deemed credible by the tribunal. The customer, who identifies as gay, claimed the guard was biased and threw him out because of his sexual orientation, but the tribunal rejected the complaint against the restaurant's franchisee. The guard also alleged the customer called him a black monkey during the altercation, a claim not specifically ruled on by the tribunal.
security guard who denied calling a man a “queer” and said he “didn’t know the meaning of that” has been ruled credible by a tribunal as it dismissed an equality claim by the customer.to have “completely initiated” an altercation with a security guard at the restaurant on 24th January 2025, when he said he was ejected from the premises.
The security guard, Alfred Edward, told an equality hearing last month that Cronin called him a “black monkey” during the row – an allegation the WRC made no specific ruling on in a decision just published. The tribunal has rejected a complaint brought by Cronin against McDonald’s franchisee Aarval Ltd, alleging discrimination on the grounds of homosexuality – a claim denied by the business.
Cronin, who identifies as gay, claimed last month that Edward threw him out of the restaurant because he was “prejudiced” and “completely biased” towards him. He told the tribunal last month he was sitting in the restaurant having a coffee, and asked a female customer to lower her voice while speaking on the phone.
The woman later gave him a “dirty look” and, when he made a phone call of his own, told him he was being “very loud”, he said.
“He wouldn’t discuss the matter. I found him quite dismissive. Because of this I asked him could I speak to a manager. He told me, abruptly, no, and it was at this point he called me a queer,” Cronin said.
Under cross-examination, he agreed with the restaurant operator’s solicitor, Robert Laffan, that he had emailed McDonald’s Ireland customer services two days on from the incident and made “no reference to discriminatory language”. Asked how Edward could have known what his sexual identity was, Cronin said: “I think he would have known by my demeanour ... I think it’s reasonable by objective interpretation he would have assumed I was gay. ”“What he called me was: ‘You black monkey’,” Edward said.
He said Cronin took issue with his handling of the situation between the complainant and the female customer and had claimed the guard “sided with the lady”.
“I don’t know even the meaning of that. I don’t call him such a name. I’m just hearing it for the first time in my life,” Edward said. While cross-examining Edward, Cronin said: “You said there I called you a black monkey.
Why on earth would I call you that, such a racist term? ” In his decision, Brady wrote that Cronin’s argument was that Edward should have known he was gay because he “came across as gay”.
US inflation jumps to 4.2% in May amid Middle East energy shockTrevor Dietz, manager of Fontaines DC and ‘the sixth member of the band’, diesHouse fires during Belfast unrest left 27 people homeless; DUP calls for Border to be closedOffice ‘inundated’ with older people who are homeless, says Senator
Please follow us on Google to support usTribunal Equality Claim Security Guard Homophobic Slur Mcdonald's Discrimination Customer Complaint Credibility
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Irish Businesses Overlook Basic Security Amid AI Hype, ESET FindsA new ESET report shows that while Irish firms fear AI-driven cyber attacks, the real danger lies in unpatched systems, password reuse, and sophisticated phishing. Many companies lack policies for AI tool usage, leaving data exposed.
Read more »
Ryanair Passenger Alarms Over Overbooking and Potential Flight DenialAisling Finlay shared a viral TikTok video detailing her experience with Ryanair overbooking, where she was told she was unlikely to board her flight to Spain. This incident highlights recurring issues with the airline's seat allocation and compensation practices, prompting discussions among travelers.
Read more »
WRC finds McDonald’s customer started altercation with security guardEmployee says he was called ‘black monkey’ during the row
Read more »
Tribunal dismisses equality claim against McDonald's after security guard's testimony deemed credibleAn Irish tribunal dismissed an equality claim brought by a gay customer who alleged discrimination by a McDonald's security guard. The guard denied using homophobic language, claiming he did not know the meaning of the word 'queer'. The tribunal found the guard's testimony credible and noted the customer had 'completely initiated' the altercation. The customer had also allegedly used racial slurs during the incident, though this was not a central ruling.
Read more »