British Colonial Co. sues SBS Viceland after it goes out of business
AN SBS program that claimed a Brisbane restaurant was “genocide”-themed has led to legal action against the broadcaster.
A BRISBANE restaurant, which closed earlier this year after facing a tidal wave of backlash over its name British Colonial Co., is taking aim at public broadcaster SBS after the network labelled it “offensive”.
The Hawthorne restaurant, which opened in June last year, was forced to close in January after it faced a tidal wave of backlash over its decision to theme itself on colonialism — and a new lawsuit is claiming there’s one particular network to blame.
According to The Gold Coast Bulletin, Angela and Mark Kennedy, who owned British Colonial Co., have lodged a statement of claim in the Southport District Court, seeking aggravated damages for SBS’s alleged “extravagant and sensational” reporting.
The case alleges SBS implied they “supported the bloody history of colonisation” and “have sought financial gain at the expense of the suffering of others”.
In a statement to news.com.au, an SBS spokesman said, “As this is a legal matter SBS will not be making a comment at this time.”
The SBS Viceland video, which aired on The Feed, has been viewed more than 7000 times across the broadcaster’s YouTube and Facebook accounts.
Published on September 20 last year, it was titled “British Colonial Co. celebrates colonialism and bad taste.”
British Colonial Co. attracted a substantial amount of criticism last year for the description on its website, which read: “Inspired by the stylish days of the empirical (sic) push into the developing cultures of the world, with the promise of adventure and modern, refinement in a safari style setting”.
The British Empire colonised many developing countries including Australia, India, large parts of Africa and Asia, often pushing out and killing local indigenous communities.
In an attempt to calm the international outrage, the restaurant released another statement last year, saying it was “upset and saddened” about the offence caused.
“We believe that our decor and menu has great synergy with Brisbane’s climate and the expansive palette of our clientele, who are looking for a melting pot of food and beverages to enjoy in a relaxed atmosphere,” the statement read.
“We are therefore upset and saddened by today’s media reports that our brand is causing offence and distress to some members of the community. This certainly was not our intention.”
Mark and Angela Kennedy have been contacted for comment.