One Derry café became a target for Donald Trump supporters in July when it offered a 10% discount to Americans who promise to vote against him in November's election. The offer was displayed in large lettering on their window.
Café Soul on Guildhall Street in Derry prizes itself on its interesting, funny, and highly topical window art, including a message of support for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland soccer teams during the UEFA European Championship that read “Good Luck Ireland North and South, We Swing Both Ways.”
The café and it’s happy-go-lucky owner incurred the wrath of some internet reviewers, as well as the love of those who hate Trump, with this attempt to play a part in ensuring The Donald does not become President of the United States.
Taking advantage of the large number of American visitors to Northern Ireland during the summer months, Café Soul displayed the message “American visitors? 10% off if you Dump Trump” in the window.
Read more: A new Irish emigrant’s take on the fascinating circus of US politics
The cafe's social media accounts added, “The world is mad enough, let’s not add to it.”
“We’re all for Dump Trump”, café owner Kiera Duddy told the Derry Journal. “It’s a bit of banter and a bit of craic.
“We’ve even had people here getting their photo taken with it.”
The window is a huge hit in the city, with passersby stopping to take pictures and post on social media where it was retweeted and liked many times.
Some good deals in Derry. #dumptrump pic.twitter.com/OHcebuCEhx
— Bill Gunter (@tulanian) August 6, 2016
It also drew a certain amount of hate from those who didn’t agree with the message, however. According to their Facebook page, they received phone calls from this side of the Atlantic telling them they were set to receive many bad reviews on Facebook, Twitter and Tripadvisor for posting such a message in their window.
One such one-star review said: “Keep your political nonsense to yourself. I would be shocked if you even stuck to this promise.”
Ironically, another accused the staff of racism while displaying a blatant stereotype towards the Irish: “Overheard the staff saying racist stuff about migrants. Plus the whole place smelled like potatoes.”
Another went so far as to attempt to associate the café with the Ulster Defence Force (UDF, an Ulster loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group), a claim quickly counteracted by the owner who informed the reviewer she was in fact from one of the estates in Derry city known for its large Catholic population.
The number of Café Soul's fans largely outweighed those attempting to bring down the business because of its window message and further five stars reviews flooded in to save their rating, many of which also referenced the love they had for their Trump window.
“Was always my favorite cafe in Derry with the best food, staff & service but it's even more so now since they have the best window displays this side of the Atlantic,” said one commenter.
“Best breakfast, best lunch, best coffee and best staff in IRELAND. With the best thing being that they don't take themselves too serious! #rememberthefirstamendment #freedomofspeech,” added another, with several others making puns at the Republican Presidential candidate’s expense.
Five star reviews currently outweigh the one star complaints 162 to 14 so we can safely say the window was more liked than disliked.
Read more: Crowd loves this Killarney busker’s song for Donald Trump (VIDEO)
H/T: The Derry Journal
Comments