Evangelical Christian Loses ‘vexatious’ Case Against A Supermarket

IRELAND’S Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has tossed out a complaint brought by an evangelical Christian against a supermarket that banned him from posting hateful anti-gay messages on its community noticeboard.

WRC adjudicator, Pat Brady, inset above, dismissed a claim by carpenter Mark J Savage that he’d been discriminated against by SuperValu after he falsely described a prominent national politician as “a gay pervert.”

According to The Irish Times, Brady described Savage’s complaint as “entirely frivolous and vexatious.”

The supermarket began having problems with the lunatic last year when he began using the noticeboard to attack the politician. Brady ruled Savage’s notice was “a homophobic slur” and there was not even the remotest suggestion, even by him, that the allegations contained in his notices were true.

Savage claimed he was discriminated against, harassed and victimised by SuperValu when it repeatedly removed notices he posted on on the noticeboard in its Swords outlet on February 6, 2020.

He said the discrimination was repeated when SuperValu reported the incident to gardaí in a “malicious meritless complaint” which resulted in gardaí calling to his home on on that date.

The notice claimed that the politician facilitated:

The sexual exploitation of innocent children by gay perverts.

Savage told the WRC he was availing himself of a service available to the public and manifesting his beliefs as an evangelical Christian and chief elder of the Church of Swords Castle. He claimed he was upset and humiliated at the discrimination when staff repeatedly removed the material.

SuperValu said it would not allow Savage to use the board as a platform for posting offensive and defamatory material. It noted he had previously posted notices accusing two 2019 local election candidates of being child sex offenders.

The company said Savage had caused anxiety, offence and upset to its staff by shouting at them, taking photographs of an employee and threatening that taking down his notices would cost them their jobs. The WRC heard that SuperValu had revoked his right to attend its Swords outlet due to his conduct.

SuperValu said Savage had e-mailed one staff member on August 10, 2020 to say he would protest outside Swords Pavillions Shopping Centre with offensive placards stating named staff members were child sex offenders.

The company said Savage’s placement of a further notice on its noticeboard on August 2 last, which made similar allegations against two named employees, was now a Garda matter.

It said it appeared Savage was inviting SuperValu to remove the notices in order to issue fresh discrimination proceedings against it. SuperValu claimed it was manifestly unfair that the company and its employees should have to defend such vexatious and frivolous claims.

Brady said Mr Savage did not give the slightest indication of having any insight into the gravity of his claims but that he confirmed he considers the language used justified in the case of “people who display conduct that he disapproves of.”

The WRC said the complainant knew exactly what the consequences of posting the notices would be because of previous incidents. Brady said defamatory, obscene and discriminatory material cannot be considered to be a protected expression of religious belief.

The WRC ruled the actions taken by SuperValu were entirely correct and well justified for dealing with what was a “premeditated act of provocation”.

Savage is no stranger to the WRC. According to The Irish Examiner, in 2019 the Christian imbecile brought a complaint against Fianna Fáil councillor Darragh Butler, above, alleging that Butler had acted in a “thuggish and intimidating” manner towards him as he was handing out anti-abortion leaflets at a pipe band contest in Dublin the previous year.

The WRC adjudication officer dismissed the case on the basis that the complaint was not filed within the statutory period of two months of the alleged incident. She ruled Savage had provided no supporting documentation to corroborate his statement.

Savage explained that he had failed to submit a complaint within the two-month deadline because of the “mental and emotional distress and anxiety” he suffered as a result of the incident.

The adjudication officer also said she was mindful that Savage had taken previous cases to the WRC and the Circuit Court and was entirely familiar with timelines under equal status legislation.

Savage has previously made similar complaints of alleged religious discrimination against a number of parties including former Health Minister, James Reilly – oh, and Google.

In a statement, Butler said he had been surprised on the day to find Mr Savage disseminating false information which was causing upset to some members of the public. He said his interaction with Mr Savage was confined to asking him to stop distributing the leaflet.

Butler said Savage had also been asked to stop by event organisers and had later been removed by gardaí.

I am pleased that Mr Savage’s spurious claim failed but I am disappointed that I had to waste valuable time, energy and resources in defending my good name and reputation.