An Australian judge told a man to ‘take his stupid Irishness elsewhere’ after he was arrested for being drunk and aggressive while celebrating his birthday.
The man has not been named, but it is reported that he became physically and verbally aggressive towards fellow patrons at Paddy’s Shenanigans Irish Bar in Queensland.
He was restrained by security and arrested by the police after refusing to leave the bar peacefully.
The man had spent the evening celebrating his 27th birthday.
His actions led to him appearing before a judge, who sentenced him to 50 hours of unpaid community service, fined him $450, and banned him from Paddy’s Bar for 12 months.
The man’s solicitor told the court that her client was a qualified carpenter who had been in Australia for two years on a working holiday visa.
On the night in question, he had been enjoying a four-day break from work and admitted he could not remember the events leading up to his arrest. He accepted the allegations and pleaded guilty to all charges.
However, the judge’s comments when delivering his summary of the events caught the attention of many after he referenced the man’s Irishness in relation to his misbehaviour.
Magistrate James Morton told the man he should have more ‘nous’ at his age, and that he should take his ‘stupid Irishness elsewhere’.
The comment has created a stir online with many criticising the judge for reverting to a stereotype that Irish people love to drink too much and get into fights.
A thread was created on discussion site Reddit, with most commentators criticising the judge for his choice of words.
One post said: “He can talk, and take his australianism with him.”
Another wrote: “An Australian being casually racist? Shocking.”
One commenter was quick to see the inconsistency in the judge’s advice to the man, writing: “Sure it’s a bar called ‘Paddy Shenanigans’, where else is he supposed to take it?”