Courts / Dublin / Report
Religious discrimination claim over Facebook ban by man 'addicted to litigation' thrown out
Summary
The Workplace Relations Commission dismissed a claim by Mark J Savage, who alleged that Facebook's ban of his account on 21 October 2021 was religious discrimination. Savage, an evangelical Christian, had used his Facebook page to accuse employees of a north Dublin retailer of child sexual offences and to claim that a politician was a sexual offender. He argued that the ban was a violation of the Equal Status Act and that Meta had treated a hypothetical gay comparator differently. The WRC found Savage's complaints frivolous and vexatious, noting that he had previously made 42 discrimination complaints and had admitted to being "addicted to litigation." The adjudicator ruled the claim was misconceived and dismissed it without a hearing. The decision was made by Roger McGrath.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Religious discrimination claim over Facebook ban by man 'addicted to litigation' thrown out. Charges or matters: religious discrimination; victimisation; harassment. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- 21 October 2021 Other
- February 2020 Other
- April 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2023-11-21 Publication
Why: North Dublin man Mark J Savage insisted his posts were protected by the Equal Status Act because he, as an evangelical Christian, was "bearing witness to truth" when he published remarks claiming there were "gay perverts" at a north County Dublin public bathroom and accusing a politician of being a sexual offender. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Charges: religious discrimination; victimisation; harassment (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: dismissed
Places mentioned
Topics
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