A campaigner for secularism has failed in a discrimination claim [1] after a series of religious services were hosted on the grounds of the Mansion House during the Covid pandemic.
John Hamill alleged his organisation, the ‘Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster’ in Ireland, and other “non-faith” groups, were denied access to public resources when they were not granted similar permission to hold services of their own on the same property.
Mr Hamill’s case was that non-religious groups represented by an organisation styling itself the Dublin City Inter-Non-Faith Forum should have had a slot.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) rejected Mr Hamill’s complaint under the Equal Status Act 2000 in a decision published yesterday.
In his decision, WRC adjudicator Jim Dolan wrote that the Dublin City Inter-Non-Faith Forum “is not directly comparable” to the Dublin City Interfaith Forum.
He wrote that the latter had “existed for over a decade and has been active in organising and promoting events… throughout that period”, had a regularly updated website and social media presence, had a full-time employee, and was registered as a charity with 21 constituent members.