James Young, owner of Melbourne’s iconic Cherry Bar, has stepped away from the company “for the time being” after a Facebook post criticising city protests sparked backlash from his business partners.
In a new statement on Facebook, Cherry Bar’s partners said they first became aware of the now-deleted post by Young when they read it online themselves.
“We immediately were aghast as many were, and demanded the post be taken down,” they wrote on Wednesday (February 25th). “The views in that post do not represent the views of Cherry, the other partners, our staff, or associates. Rock n roll has protest in its DNA. Its tradition platforms outsiders, amplifies rage, and turns noise into community, reminding us all that rebellion can be not just loud and creative, but hopeful too.
“Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our incredible team who have had a difficult few days. We request that members of the public please keep in mind that they are blameless in this. We have met with James Young in person today. He has expressed his sincere remorse and understands the harm of his actions.
“At our request he has agreed to step away from the company for the time being,” they concluded.
In the now-deleted post, made on the weekend, Young claimed that protests in Melbourne’s CBD are shutting out punters and putting the city’s live music scene in jeopardy.
“Another weekend. Another protest in the city, that means people cannot access Cherry Bar in the City of Melbourne,” he wrote. “The protests vary but the pain is consistent… Enough is enough.”
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He criticised both the council and state government for, in his words, “favour[ing] the ‘rights’ of illegal protesters… over the rights of long term small business operators to open their doors and trade”, adding that venues are desperately trying to reignite the Melbourne hospitality industry and “pay our bloody rent!”
Young did not response to The Music Network‘s request for comment.
