“I have nothing against babies ...”
In early September, Singapore-based Scoot airlines announced the launch of “Scoot in Silence” – sections at the front of its cabins that ban anyone under 12. This follows a No Children Allowed movement spreading across the globe. In Reno, Nevada, movie theatres began banning kids from any movie over a G-rating (like Superman) while a “heartless” Berlin café uses concrete posts to block strollers from entering.
Closer to home, “Mamo”, owner of the restaurant Michelangelo in Antibes, just announced, “Look, I have nothing against babies … but this is not a place for them. Strollers pose a fire risk and they take up space when we are busy.
“People come here to enjoy a meal. I’m not the only one doing it but I am probably the only one to talk about it – and put up a sign.” He smiles at the notice on the door (pictured), which ungrammatically bans pushchairs.
Another restaurant worker admitted that “If a caller mentions a stroller at the time of booking, I say that we’re full.”
But is it legal? Henry Mathey, president of the Antibes hotel and restaurant union says, “A customer can be refused because he’s not wearing a tie or has open toe shoes ... as long as the rules are clearly visible at the entrance of the establishment then it’s not illegal. People are free to eat elsewhere!”
