UK holiday firm had ‘undesirable guests’ list of Irish names

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s equalities watchdog says a chain of holiday parks kept an “undesirable guests” list of Irish last names in an attempt to keep out members of the Irish Traveler community. Pontins’ list, displayed on a staff intranet site, contained about 40 largely Irish names, including Cash, Delaney, Gallagher, Murphy and O’Brien. Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission said Pontins was “directly discriminating on the basis of race” by refusing to serve guests of a particular ethnic group. It said the company had made a legal agreement to end the discrimination. Irish Travelers are a traditionally nomadic group similar to, but ethnically distinct from, Gypsy or Roma people. They are a recognized ethnic minority in Britain and have long suffered discrimination.