The owner of an East Belfast business has thrown Stephen Nolan out of his cafe after the BBC presenter confronted him over a controversial social media post mocking obese people.
Belfast Breakfast Baps on Woodstock Road made a post on social media on Saturday, March 15, stating certain people should not be using mobility scooters if they have weight issues and that people who are not disabled were using them.
It said: "If you’re in one of these because you’re morbidly obese please know you are not disabled you’re fat and probably not very useful. It most definitely is your fault. Thyroid issues are workable and you are taking away resources from those who actually deserve not. How about park the mobility scooter and walk fatty and maybe even eventually run."
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The post sparked social media outrage and on Tuesday morning before his BBC Radio Ulster show, Stephen Nolan called into the business to confront owner Mark Young about the comments. The video of this encounter was posted by the business on their Facebook page, and reshared by Nolan.
Speaking on The Nolan Show after the incident, Nolan claims the owner told one of his team, the presenter he is "about two stone off a mobility scooter himself." After standing by his opinion shared in the social media post, Mr Young came around to the other side of the counter and threw Stephen Nolan out of the shop.
When asked by a listener about his own well-publicised journey with his weight and healthy eating, Nolan said: "I was going to buy a bap this morning, but I didn't get a chance to."
Watch the clip here:
A caller into the show, 20-year-old student and disability rights campaigner Andrew Hamilton, said the post was "making assumptions." He added: "Not all disabilities are visible, you shouldn't be judging people, you don't know what medical conditions they may have.
"Maybe some are on mobility scooters because of weight, but you can't make that assumption. It's an ableist and immature comment."
TUV leader Jim Allister described Mr Young's comments as "crude and over the top," while recognising that people should take responsibility for their health if able to. He said: "There are many people who are obese for genetic reasons and not because of their eating habits.
"Those who can do something about it, and a lot of us come into that category, should be seeking to do something about it. It's in the interest of not just society but our own interest to counter obesity.
"I'm sure they're on a mobility scooter because of some assessment as to their condition. As to the underlying reasons for those conditions, I'm not a doctor, I can't say.
"I don't think it's a sentiment I would want to express, but I do think it's a sentiment which maybe some people would identify with when they make the effort to keep themselves fit and healthy, and maybe wonder do others not do that. I think it's a matter of individual responsibility."
When approached by Belfast Live regarding the comments, Mark Young of Belfast Breakfast Baps said the post was not aimed at disabled people and was instead trying to highlight how resources can be taken away from them. He said the business regularly contributes to local charities and food banks and that those in the area know that they are a business with a heart.
He added: "It’s not aimed at the disabled as the post clearly states it’s aimed at the fat people who use them and take away vital resources. When unlike disabled folk who have a genuine need for them they could walk and lose weight.
"Anyway it is what it is and people have and can take whatever they want from it but our charitable side of the business, and the lengths we go to to support the local food bank, offering free school breakfast in January and free Christmas dinners on Christmas Day should be all the evidence required for people to know we are a business with a heart."
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