Another St. Kilda-based hospitality group is the subject of controversy after it threatened to eject a regular patron if he did not remove his red Donald Trump “MAGA” cap.
Angelo Notta, 45, was at the Captain Baxter establishment on Australia Day and celebrating a friend’s birthday.
His celebrations were cut short after he was approached by the venue manager and asked to remove his cap, with the words “Make America Great Again” emblazoned on it.
It was the second time in recent weeks a licenced premises in the upmarket seaside suburb made headlines for the wrong reasons.
Pub giant Australian Venue Co.—which owns St. Kilda’s famous Espy hotel, as well as 200 venues across the country—faced strong community pushback after initially banning Australia Day celebrations at its venues, and then later eschewing any mention of the public holiday during the long weekend.
On this occasion, Notta arrived at 5.30 p.m. on the 26th, and after about 10 minutes he was asked to remove his recognisable red cap because he was told it was “provoking political violence.”
What was even more surprising was that Notta had previously donned the cap at Captain Baxter.
The venue is located in St. Kilda, a very progressive-leaning area, which has traditionally voted strongly for Greens candidates.
“I’ve actually worn the hat probably four times at the same venue in the past eight weeks,” Notta told Channel 10’s The Project.
“So it’s a surprise to me. I am a regular there—they would know my face. I spend every Sunday afternoon there.
“It’s the only day off I get for the week to enjoy my social time. And to be asked by a venue manager to remove it, it was a bit of a stand over approach.”
Notta said he did not mean to offend anyone.
“It’s just a hat. I’m not out there to offend anyone by wearing it. It was given to me by a friend in the States, and she’s always said, ‘Are you wearing your MAGA hat?’”
“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, of course I am, thanks for the gift.’ And I’ll continue to wear it.”
Notta said he had never been the subject of any discouraging comments or bad looks regarding his MAGA hat before the incident.
After being asked to remove his cap, Notta initially replied he didn’t know the venue had a no-hat policy.
The manager then replied it wasn’t the cap, it was the message.
Not wanting to cause any trouble, Notta removed the cap, before security later gave his friend a tap on the shoulder after he wore the hat.
The Epoch Times contacted Captain Baxter for comment on Jan. 27 evening.
However, Captain Baxter’s website does have an anti-discrimination policy which states:
“Captain Baxter is a place free from discrimination, where we respect and celebrate the diversity of our communities.”
Australian Indie Singer ‘Cancelled’ For Wearing MAGA Hat
The incident involving Notta invoked memories of what Australian indie singer Hayley Mary endured in November last year, after she wore a MAGA hat in a social media post.
The 37-year-old singer-songwriter of The Jezabels shared the image after U.S. President Trump won the election, saying she did it for “shock value” to get the attention of her followers, and to condemn the proposed Misinformation Bill before Australia’s Parliament.
The backlash Mary received resulted in her being “cancelled” by large sections of the indie rock industry, while a question mark emerged over her future as a musician.
The Jezabels responded with a statement that did not mention Mary’s name, but included the following:
“We abhor the language of the far-right and see through their grotesque attempts to moralise on free speech.”
‘We Need More Politicians Like Trump’: Notta
Notta said he was a big supporter of Trump, who won the 2024 U.S. election.
He added Australia needed more patriotic people in office like Trump, who has swiftly enacted his America-first agenda.
That agenda includes closing the borders, withdrawing from the U.S.’s economically problematic agreement with the World Health Organisation, and reiterating there are two genders.
“I love him as a person and as a character,” Notta said.
“I’ve always taken interest in his career. And part of me is also a little bit jealous – to have a politician like that who loves his country and puts his people first.
St. Kilda Residents Feeling the Pinch from Youth Crime
St. Kilda is in the federal seat of Macnamara, a highly progressive seat where the Greens registered a higher primary vote than the centre-right Liberal Party at the last election.
Labor’s Josh Burns currently holds the seat, while at state-level it is held by Nina Taylor, who presides over the seat of Albert Park.
In recent weeks, residents have spoken out repeatedly about the state Labor government’s handling of crime, culminating in several hundred people taking part in the “Make Port Phillip Safer” march.
Victoria state Liberal politicians David Southwick and Georgie Crozier attended, as well as the federal Liberal candidate for Macnamara, Benson Saulo.
Saulo told The Epoch Times that many residents in the region wanted change.
“For over 100 years it [the seat of Macnamara] has sat with Labor,” Saulo told The Epoch Times.
“And so, I think it’s reflective of the fact that we have a march through here at Acland Street around the rising crime and a whole range of things.”
