A tavern in Nafplio has kicked out a gay couple that was dining in its premises. the tavern argued the gay couple should go because there were children and elderly there.
In a denouncement on social media, one of the young men involved in the incident said that while they had started eating their dinner starters, one of the waiters, who was also manager of the tavern, came to their table.
“He picked up and shook one of the chairs at our table and told us loud and sternly: You must leave, Now. You can do whatever you want at home, but not here. Criticize all you want online, I don’t care. Get out of here now.
Bewildered, after a few seconds we answered him, politely but firmly:
You know, that’s discrimination and we think it’s illegal.
He answered louder and more irritated, making vigorous movements in the space:
I don’t care what it is. There are children and old people here and you can’t do whatever you want. Leave Now.
We immediately left, shocked, but we had each other. We found another tavern, sat down. We made fun of the incident but admitted that it was probably better to be less demonstrative in public there.”
The couple had apparently kissed each other.
The incident that took place on Christmas days but the complaint was made yesterday, Tuesday, triggered an outrage about the homophobic behavior, both on social media and some mainstream ones.
Many Greeks posted negative reviews about the tavern as its name circulated on social media.
Speaking to media on Wednesday morning, the tavern owner defended his behavior.
“We asked them to leave because the neighboring tables were disturbed.. There were two families, two couples with two children, an eight-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl. This group was disturbed on Christmas Eve and immediately at the table in front of them was a young couple with their elderly parents,” the tavern owner told ANT1 TV.
He said that the couple left quietly, adding “We had customers, who very politely asked me to stop this.”
“There was a misunderstanding” he said and made reference to “normal couples” in 2023
He claimed that “there was a misunderstanding, as happens in every restaurant, there have been various misunderstandings in too many restaurants, not of this kind,”
He continued speaking of “normal couples” saying he had made leave recommendations also to “a normal couple, to a heterosexual couple, when it had deviated in its behavior.”.
He underlined that he is not going to take legal action nor to respond to the several people “swearing at him.”