With growing resistance to the current administration’s political stances, many are finding ways to use their constitutional right to free speech despite the backlash it can inspire. In Virginia, an owner of a popular dive bar has a direct message to President Donald Trump and his policies, riling up some of the former business mogul’s MAGA base.
William McCormack, the owner of McCormack’s Irish Pub in Richmond, Va., was profiled in local outlet RVA Mag, highlighting his line of t-shirts that take direct aim at Trump, ICE, and fascism overall. As a result, McCormack has attracted detractors who used Yelp to review bomb his establishment from thousands of miles away. The shirts, which feature the words “F*ck ICE, F*ck Nazis, F*ck Trump” in a circular setup with an “Antifascist AF” stamp in the middle of a shamrock.
From RVA Mag:
The conversation, which started on Facebook and quickly spilled into Google and Yelp reviews, has spread nationally with a predictable mix of support and outrage from commenters in California, New Jersey, North Carolina, and elsewhere. A debate McCormack has welcomed, “I’m protesting our government,” he told me. “It’s literally the very definition of the First Amendment.”
For those not familiar with McCormack, his Irish Pub is something of an institution in Shockoe Bottom. It’s one of the city’s last original dive bars with a deep punk history stretching back to the 1990s. But over the years, he’s successfully branched out as a restaurateur, with his two whisky bars earning recognition both nationally and internationally.
“I’ve never hidden my politics there,” said McCormack, referring to his Irish pub. “It’s bigger than just the bar, it’s what you believe. And it’s what I believe one hundred percent.”
Naturally, the MAGA faithful and other so-called “patriots” are flooding McCormack’s social media feeds with insults and threats to not support his establishment. Sticking to his guns, McCormack didn’t seem necessarily concerned about the potential loss in business and is instead focused on serving those who share his values.
See the shirt and the chatter here.
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Photo: Getty
