A Victorian man who says he was asked to remove a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat at a Melbourne venue, claims he was later asked to leave a second establishment—despite not wearing the cap this time.
The MAGA hat-wearing Ange Notta initially visited the Captain Baxter venue in the seaside suburb of St. Kilda on Australia Day, but was told to remove the well-known red cap to avoid inciting “political violence.”
However, Notta has now reported being asked to leave a second venue called Republica on Feb. 2, located in the same suburb.
Yet this time he was not wearing the MAGA hat, and was wearing an LA Lakers cap. He believes staff recognised him from the media coverage.
“It had nothing to do with the hat this time, I was approached by a different venue manager, who politely came over and said, ‘I’m going to need you to leave this venue,’” he told Sky News Australia.
“He said, ‘In protection of his staff, they felt threatened of me being there.’ It was a big surprise to me, and again, offensive,” Notta said.
Republica and Captain Baxter are both owned by the Melbourne Hospitality People.
Notta has since said he plans to launch a complaint with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
“It’s just stupid to be getting offended by a hat. Everyone has a right to have an opinion, respectfully, without the fear of being cancelled. It’s basically like we’re bowing down to a minority,” Notta told the Herald Sun.
Notta felt there was a double standard because if he wore a cap promoting Kamala Harris or the “free Palestine” movement, it would likely have been treated differently.
The incidents come after a similar event in Queensland, where a man said he was removed from a queer pub for wearing a Donald Trump hat.
Robert Holt said he was asked to leave the Brisbane venue during Halloween celebrations after staff expressed concerns about their safety.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen addressed the matter last week, stating that people should be free to express their views.
“There’s certain hats I don’t agree with, certain hats I do agree with,” she said.
“I do believe in freedom of expression. If someone wants to wear a hat, that’s a matter for them.”
The Epoch Times has contacted the Melbourne Hospitality People for further comment.
