Irish hotel cancels pro-life conference after ‘intimidation’

A hotel in Dublin has cancelled a pro-life event after receiving a barrage of online abuse.

Human Life International had booked an event at the Ashling Hotel for Saturday, September 30, however they say the hotel cancelled their booking after receiving a large number of negative emails and social media posts.

Patrick McCrystal, HLI’s executive director, told Independent.ie the group was hosting a conference on “the effects of abortion on women’s physical and mental health”.

However, the hotel contacted him this week to say they had called off the event.

“The manager himself spoke to me directly of 50 pages of commentary, emails and social media, that a Facebook page had been set up opposing the conference, as well as diatribe, intimidation, upset of his staff, personal visits to the hotel and threats of protest at the hotel if conference continues. In the interest of health and safety of his staff, he had to cancel venue,” McCrystal said.

He described the abuse as “yet another example of censorship and is an attack on free speech,” and added: “Who decides who may speak in Ireland? This is an attack on the very foundation of democracy in our country.”

The hotel has declined to comment.