A pub in the inner west Sydney suburb of Newtown has fired a manager over a Facebook post joking about "slapping a bitch" during the NRL finals.
The Coopers Hotel had come under fire from people on its Facebook page for the post on Wednesday that advertised the pub screening the upcoming National Rugby League finals by mocking people who couldn't tell the difference between the NRL and NFL.
"Keep calm and slap a bitch as we approach the finals of this years [sic] NRL! Live & Loud every game!" the post read.
After people criticised the post for linking violence with watching the NRL, following a report last month that showed domestic violence increased 40.7% and non-domestic assaults increased 71.8% on State of Origin game nights in New South Wales, the post was edited to state "Keep calm and hug like you can't take a joke".
The post was then taken down, and manager Gary Wright said he "wholly apologised" for the post, but by Thursday morning, the licensees said that the staff member responsible for the post had been fired.
"We have taken action in relation to that staff member," the post stated. "Their employment has been immediately terminated and they no longer work at the hotel. Their behaviour does not reflect who we are."
Some people posted in the comments that others had been banned from the page for criticising, while others said that comments remained up from people defending the Coopers Hotel's initial post.
"Anytime you want to responsibly manage your page and remove not only your disgusting posts, but the appalling responses by those men who think it's all a bit of a giggle, that would be great," said one commenter. "I can't imagine any female wanting to frequent an establishment where such customers are welcomed."
"You really need to remove all the negative and hurtful remarks made by your clientele," said another. "This will go a long way to returning your reputation."
Others said it was a pattern of behaviour, pointing to a tweet earlier this month by the pub's Twitter account about "$10 burgers and 10c ladies".
The pub's Facebook page has been inundated with one-star reviews criticising the post.