A bar in Greater Manchester is facing “relentless online abuse” after it was falsely identified as a US pub of the same name that was accused of making a controversial statement about Charlie Kirk.
The Courtyard Brewery, Royton, was inundated with negative remarks ever since screenshots were circulated online that appeared to show the US bar criticising Kirk immediately after the 31-year-old activist was shot dead in the US city of Orem last week.
The owners of the Shepherd Street venue posted a desperate plea on Facebook aimed at US visitors, clarifying they were a different venue.
The post said: “We have spent four days trying to put out a fire that is not ours to fight.”
The comment, which apparently appeared under a Fox News announcement of Kirk’s death, has allegedly since been deleted, although screenshots and a number of responses tagging the New Orleans bar remain in circulation.
The case of mistaken identity has left Jacqui and Chris Ashley, owners of the Royton microbrewery, bar and coffee shop, feeling “stressed” and “fed up” after five days of trying to moderate comments and report Google reviews that “aren’t even aimed at them”.
“To be really honest, I didn’t even know who Charlie Kirk was until this all happened,” Ms Ashley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“I just woke up on Thursday morning and there were all of these horrible comments saying we’re ‘evil’ and ‘we hope your business burns down’.
“I spent my whole Thursday deleting comments as they came in. We hoped it would just blow over after a few days. But we’re on day five and they’re still coming.”
Ms Ashley, who has co-run the venue for eight years, says she has “no way of knowing” if the comments have affected business, but she is worried about fake reviews putting off potential customers.
The pub has appealed to local customers to carry on supporting them and bear their situation in mind when they see negative comments online.
The Courtyard Brewery in New Orleans was contacted for comment.
