The Red Lion Bar in Bristol has been hailed by critics as “the most sensible pub in the UK”, with house managers no longer offering liquor of certain brands “for ethical reasons”, the British newspaper Metro reported.
Prohibited labels include Coca-Cola, Heineken, Bacardi and Thatcher’s cider, which are widely consumed on the Queen’s land.
In a post posted on Puppy’s Facebook page, the owners explain that the Thatchers maker has ties to the community affiliated with slave trader Edward Colston.
According to them, the other brands mentioned have been accused of unethical marketing practices in other parts of the world, although they did not mention to the local press what they would all be. Members of The Red Lion reported in the “Daily Mail” that Coca-Cola was abusing water in third world countries and that Heineken had bad practices in Africa.
They even banned Dyski Polish beer after the brewery was accused of being linked to the anti-LGBTQA + movement.
Disgruntled customers criticized the house’s political stance. “If you can not get over a little slavery, the whole city of Bristol will be guilty. In the past,” James Maslan wrote in response to the Red Lion team.
Others mock the attempt to appear more “intelligent” and believe the move is the performance of business managers.
“We have taken what we consider to be an ethical position. It’s part of our existence. We are branded as ‘smart’ and all of those words were used as weapons, which made us feel very vulnerable,” said one of the owners, Lemmy, of the subway.
Outside the pub, band performances take place from the area
Image: Background / Facebook
Last week, an activist group called Countering Colston called for a public boycott of Thatcher’s cider in connection with his links to the Bristol slave trader whose statue was broken in the city in 2020. Last month, four people involved in the fight were released.
The Red Lion publicly supported a group called the Colston Four. “One of them actually drinks in our bubble, but that’s only part of the story. People like the other ciders we sell anyway!” Lemmy said.
The Red Lion, a pub in Bristol, England
Image: Revelation
Despite various criticisms and attacks, not all customers have stopped supporting Pup.
“It’s fair that you take an ethical stand against these people. You have angered the worst kind of people on Facebook, so you get two options from me,” Kelly Marie Dixon commented.
Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
