Homophobic abuse from anti-vaccine mandaters doesn't stop bar's busiest week

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Dunedin News

Dunedin business owners copped abuse and a flurry of fake one-star reviews for their decision to temporarily keep the vaccine pass system.

A week on from their decision, Woof! co-owners Josh Thomas and Dudley Benson have seen a record number of patrons.

Thomas and Benson said their bar and eatery served a diverse community, most of whom were concerned with easing Covid-19 restrictions.

From April 4, amid declining Covid-19 cases overall, businesses like theirs no longer needed to see a vaccine pass before allowing people to dine-in.

In Dunedin, however, cases haven't been declining. After a survey of patrons, the co-owners decided they would keep the vaccine pass system for the time being, and would review it week to week.

The decision sparked the ire of online trolls, whose abuse became increasingly homophobic once news reached the United States, Benson wrote on Twitter.

“Many seemed threatened by my nail polish.”

In a separate tweet, Benson said of the 1232 groups the business had welcomed since April 4, only one person did not want to show a vaccine pass.

“They politely moved on,” he said.

The abuse continued online after Benson decided to contact the people leaving fake one-star reviews, “to hold them [to] account”.

Some commenters took issue with Benson contacting the people leaving fake reviews, even though the reviews lowered the bar's rank online, adding to the abuse.

Google has since removed several of the fake one-star reviews, including some five-star reviews supporters made to try and balance the reviews.

Thomas and Benson declined to speak to Stuff, but gave permission to use information they published on Twitter.

Meanwhile, case numbers in Otago and Southland had surpassed worst case predictions, according to modelling provided to the Southern District Health Board.

On Monday, there were 7847 active Covid-19 cases in the Southern region – the second-highest in the country by district health board area, behind Canterbury on 11,683.