– We perhaps felt it was a bit of a mistake. That’s what general manager and owner of Café Bohem in Kongsvinger, Mari Søbye Østlid, says. In October, the cafe was visited by the municipality’s pub inspectors. In the inspection, an artistic painting in the cafe has been assessed as illegal alcohol advertising. The painting is of an elderly lady sitting at a table holding a glass of red wine. Kongsvinger municipality believes that this painting “contradicts the advertising ban, and requests that the painting be removed”, writes newspaper Glåmdalen, which first reported the case. The reason is because the glass in the hand can be associated with alcohol, the pub inspector writes in his report. Café Bohem is located in Øvrebyen in Kongsvinger. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Let it hang The cafe, on the other hand, has not removed the painting, but rather chose to hang a post-it note over the wine glass and write “censorship” on it. – We are trying our best, to see if it can still hang, says Søbye Østlid. The new version of the painting looks like this. A post-it censors the glass. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Østlid explains that the picture was painted by a local artist who has worked at the cafe for many years. And the lady in the painting is in honor of a regular café customer they are really fond of. – It is an iconic image for us, says Søbye Østlid. Not the first Kafé Bohem are also not the first in Kongsvinger to be asked to remove a painting because it is considered alcohol advertising. Schøyen Grill & Bar in Kongsvinger had to do the same in April at the latest. And the liquor control in Stavanger believed earlier this year that it was alcohol advertising for a wine bar to use wine bottles as candlesticks. At the time, the matter was raised in the Storting by parliamentary representative Silje Hjemdal (Frp), with a question to the Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap): “Does the Minister of Health think that the use of such candlesticks should be punished and will she possibly reconsider renewing an incomprehensible and pointlessly strict regulations?”, she asked. Then Kjerkol answered, among other things: “On a general basis, I would like to point out that if the purpose behind the use is not to promote the sale of alcoholic beverages – it will not be alcohol advertising.” Later it came from the State Administrator in Rogaland that the candlesticks cannot be affected by the ban on alcohol advertising. Wine bottle as a flower vase = breach It wasn’t just the painting that the cafe in Kongsvinger got slapped on the fingers for. In the window sill they used a wine bottle as a flower vase. This was also referred to as a violation. Although Søbye Østlid thinks the regulations themselves are fine, she finds it difficult to know where the line is. – What is a bit confusing is that there is such a difference from municipality to municipality, she says. Sometimes they have gone to other cities to get inspiration, and then come back and get comments on things they have done in Oslo, she explains. – It’s not about trying to “push boundaries”, it’s more about not knowing exactly where the boundaries are, she says. Mari Søbye Østlid, owner of the cafe, thinks it is difficult to know where the line is. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news – Administers the regulations that have been given Kongsvinger municipality has an agreement with Securitas, which carries out certified pub checks for the municipality. When asked to the municipality if they understand that people react to the fact that the painting is considered alcohol advertising, they answer: – We manage the regulations that have been given through the alcohol legislation, with associated regulations. There is a ban on advertising, and we enforce that ban in line with both the control report and the practice prescribed by the regulations, says the municipality’s head of HR and organisation, Eivind Solberg. He says the rationale for considering the image as a violation is based on the practice that has been developed in the area. – In a similar case from Stavanger earlier this year, where a wine bar owner was infringed on the same for using wine bottles with candles inside, the State Administrator in Rogaland believed that the candlesticks are not affected by the ban on alcohol advertising. Shouldn’t the same apply here? – We have received a liquor control report, where a breach of the advertising ban has been proven, and that is what we have decided on, he says. Egil Vold is head of department at Securitas Innlandet and tells news that they check based on the provisions of the Alcohol Act. Beyond that, they do not comment on individual cases. – We have no comments, beyond what has been presented to the municipality in the report, says Vold to news.
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Can’t have this painting hanging in the cafe in Kongsvinger – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
