Brewery wrongly caught up in Kirk murder aftermath

Marc Blake (left) says it is too early to know if the comments have impacted his business

An Essex brewery has received online abuse after being misidentified as a business with a similar name accused of making a controversial statement about Charlie Kirk.

Courtyard Brewery, based in Gosfield, near Halstead, has seen its social media sent negative remarks apparently intended for The Courtyard Brewery in New Orleans.

The namesake US business has been linked to alleged online comments about political activist Mr Kirk, who was shot dead in Utah last week.

Marc Blake, who also runs two tap rooms in Essex, said: "When I asked them to apologise or retract statements because they had the wrong venue, none of them did. Other Americans actually apologised on behalf of them instead."

Marc Blake said it highlighted the "ignorance" of some of those on social media

Mr Blake said it was too early to know whether the mix-up had affected his business.

"They have put posts up saying they will never eat in my pubs again, but I don't do food," he said.

Mr Blake added that it highlighted the "ignorance of people" using social media and the impact they can have on a business.

"I still get comments... but I have better things to do with my time than to go through all of them now," he said.

Mr Blake's business is not the only one in the UK to have been affected.

The Courtyard Brewery in Manchester, a bar, has had a similar experience.