A doorman at a Leicester nightclub has been suspended after a group of students alleged he refused to let them in because of their race.
Footage recorded by one of the students shows a bouncer agreeing they were being barred “because they were black”.
A statement from Ghost Nightclub said it welcomed people “from all walks of life” and had suspended the doorman.
In the mobile phone video, the bouncer says he was enforcing the club’s rules and claimed it was not his decision.
Kosi Orah, a 19-year-old University of Leicester student from Essex, who was celebrating his birthday on a night out with friends, said they were turned away from the nightclub.
But the owners of Ghost Nightclub said: “We reiterate that we only have a shoes-only, 18-plus door policy.
“I urge people to take a look at our Facebook page to see that we welcome people from all walks of life.
“This is a 45-year-old business – the oldest nightclub in the city – which has been owned by the same family for all that time.
“We urge the group of students who were turned away to get in touch with the management of Ghost Nightclub so that we can resolve this.”
Leicestershire Police said it took hate crime seriously and was looking into the complaint.
“The incident has been reported and recorded and inquiries are ongoing,” a police statement said.
“We take reports of racism extremely seriously and would encourage anyone who has been a victim of such a crime to contact us.”
In the video, the doorman, who has not been identified, is heard to say: “I have no problems with you guys at all, but that is the rules of the club.”
One of the group asks: “It is because we’re black?”, followed by the doorman’s reply of: “Yes, that’s what I am saying.”
Mr Orah said he was shocked by what happened and the experience had “tainted my view of the city as a whole”.
Credit: BBC.com
