Grandmother refused entry to Wetherspoons pub because she was wearing a Union Jack dress vows to never return
Tanya Ostolski, 54, tried to enter The Picture House in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, after attending an anti-migrant protest in the area on Friday, July 25.
Dozens of protesters had gathered in the town centre from around 4.30pm after Reform MP Lee Anderson went against police advice to make an unverified claim that a local man charged with rape was an asylum seeker.
It followed similar anti-migrant demonstrations outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, near Essex, and the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf in central London, in recent weeks.
After marching in the protest, Tanya made her way to her local Wetherspoons where she claims she was denied entry due to her outfit.
The bouncer's refusal to let her in angered other protesters in her group, who were also turned away.
A spokesperson for Wetherspoons confirmed the pub asked customers with flags and placards not to enter so as not to 'increase tension'.
Tanya said: 'I'm disgusted. I won't be going back there. I go in there all the time, and I wasn't causing any trouble.
'The whole day was a peaceful protest. I'm a grandma and I've never caused any bother.
'I just can't believe this was all over a flag - it was really upsetting. I didn't do anything wrong.'
According to Tanya, she was first refused entry because she was carrying a St George's cross flag.
She claimed witnesses defended her - calling the bouncers actions 'unfair' as she wasn't 'causing any trouble'.
Tanya said: 'I had the flag tied around my waist. He said I couldn't come in and asked me to put the flag away.
'But I had flags all over my dress and then I was told I can't come in at all. I was really confused - it's just a flag.
'I asked for a valid reason. They just kept saying, 'you're not coming in'.
'I'm not aggressive and didn't want to cause trouble, so I just walked away. People came up to me and said it was really unfair.
'I've heard I won't be welcome back or I might be barred.'
JD Wetherspoons has a 'no flag' policy which prohibits the pubs from hanging the England flag - a policy that received backlash during the 2018 World Cup.
But during the men's Euro 2024, the popular chain overturned the rule and allowed their pubs to hang the England flag during the summer tournament.
In a statement given to Nottingham Post, Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: 'Pub managers have a duty under the licensing laws, and as a matter of common sense, to judge every situation on its particular circumstances.
'In this case, the pub manager felt that it was important not to increase tensions. Therefore, on this occasion the manager asked customers not to enter with flags or any placards.'
It comes after a schoolgirl was put into isolation for wearing a Union Jack dress to celebrate being British at her school's culture day.
'Straight A' student Courtney Wright, 12, wore the Spice Girls-esque dress and wrote a speech about history and traditions as part of the celebrations on July 11.
But the Year 7 pupil was told the dress was 'unacceptable' before being hauled out of lessons and made to sit in reception until her father collected her.
Stuart Field, 47, said he was 'gobsmacked' to learn she had been segregated from her peers due to her choice of attire at Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire.
He added that while other pupils with St George's and Welsh flags were also turned away, students were allowed in burkas, niqabs and traditional Nigerian clothing.
The school contacted Mr Field over the weekend and have since apologised for the move
Mr Field, who works in marine restoration, said: 'Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn't understand what she'd done wrong.
'She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. And she shouldn't be punished for celebrating British culture and history; nobody else I've spoken to can quite get their heads around it.'
The father added: 'Another with a St Georges flag and another with a Welsh flag were not allowed in either. It was ridiculous. It just seemed anything that was remotely British wasn't allowed.
'It's ironic they were having a cultural diversity day but then decided to single out a group of people.
'Others were allowed in burkas, niqabs or traditional Nigerian clothing.'
Following outrage to the decision, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The PM has always been clear that being British is something to be celebrated.
'You can see that from everything this government has done. We are a tolerant, diverse, open country, proud of being British.'
Mr Field said Courtney wanted to wear the dress to celebrate being British, the Spice Girls and the freedom of being able to wear a dress.
'This was her interpretation of British culture and what it means to her,' he said.
'Somebody at the school has politicised a Union Jack dress even though that was clearly not Courtney's intent. Courtney didn't do anything to be political.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Murder victim named as Ayowale Aledejana
A man stabbed to death in south-east London has been named as 26-year-old Ayowale Aledejana. Police were called to Monson Road, New Cross, at around 7.26pm on Saturday after a man was found with stab wounds. Officers attended alongside paramedics and London Air Ambulance medics but Mr Aledjana, from South Norwood, Croydon, died at the scene. His family are being supported by specially trained officers. A 23-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody. Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card, who is leading the investigation, said: 'Our thoughts are with Ayowale's family and friends at this difficult time. 'I understand this incident will be concerning and we are carrying out a fast-paced and thorough investigation to establish the circumstances. 'I would encourage anyone who has not yet spoken to us to do so.' Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting reference 6271/02AUG.
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
British farmer's year-long wheat crop destroyed by vandals days before harvest
A British farmer's year-long wheat crop was destroyed by vandals who appear to have driven a vehicle through a field just days before harvest. Footage shared by Heady's Farm in Buckinghamshire on Sunday (3 August) shows hundreds of crops knocked over due to the suspected car ploughing. Bending down to inspect the damage, the farmer said that he won't be able to harvest any of the wheat that's been knocked over, labelling the incident as 'so disappointing". He added: 'You wonder why farmers are angry at people and say 'get off our land'. It's not the normal people, it's the bloody idiots who decide to drive their cars about in fields.'
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ministers must summon the courage to right an ‘obvious injustice'
The very judges who handed out 'unfair' indefinite prison sentences have joined The Independent 's campaign to resentence thousands of offenders who are still trapped by a law that was abolished in 2012. Sir John Saunders, a former High Court judge, tells us that he would apologise to offenders he sentenced to imprisonment for public protection (IPP) terms. 'I should say I'm really sorry this has happened; it's extremely unfair,' he said. 'I didn't want to be party to unfairness. I would feel very bad about it, I would apologise to them.' The sentences, described as an 'obvious injustice' by one former senior judge, were introduced by David Blunkett as home secretary in 2005 in an attempt to deal with a small number of offenders who might continue to be a danger to the public. Such prisoners were given no release date, were subject to stringent assessment before being let out, and were then liable indefinitely for recall to prison if they broke the conditions of their release. However, the sentences were used more often than Lord Blunkett intended, and the psychological effects of indefinite detention caused more problems than it solved. Lord Blunkett now describes the policy as his 'biggest regret'. The law was repealed by the coalition government in 2012, but it continued to apply to the thousands of prisoners still serving IPP sentences. Victims of the scandal, whose tragic cases have been taken up by The Independent, include Leroy Douglas, who has served 19 years for stealing a mobile phone; Thomas White, who set himself alight in his cell and has served 13 years for stealing a phone; and Abdullahi Suleman, who is still inside 19 years after he was jailed for a laptop robbery. The Independent supports a plan put forward by an expert panel convened by the Howard League for Penal Reform, which calls for IPP prisoners to be given a release date within a two-year window at their next parole hearing. They should, in effect, be resentenced and treated henceforth on the same basis as all other offenders. James Timpson, the prisons minister, says: 'We have significantly improved support for these offenders, with greater access to rehabilitation and mental health support. There is more work to do as we reduce the number of IPP offenders in custody, but we will only do so in a way that protects the public.' We understand why ministers in successive governments have been reluctant to go further. They are fearful of the consequences if someone released from an IPP sentence goes on to commit a serious offence. And they are right to make the protection of the public the highest priority. But that will not be achieved by the continued indefinite detention of 2,500 prisoners who were unlucky enough to be sentenced at the wrong time. Especially when a greater risk to the public is probably posed by the early release of prisoners to free up space in our overcrowded prisons. Simon Tonking, the former recorder of Stafford, told The Independent that the Labour government should use its majority to end the injustice by taking up the Howard League's proposals: 'Virtually everybody who has had any professional dealings with IPP knows that it is unjust and now is the time to act.' It is no use for former ministers such as Lord Blunkett and Alex Chalk, the former justice secretary, calling for justice to be done after they have left office. It is up to Lord Timpson, his boss Shabana Mahmood and ultimately Sir Keir Starmer to do the right thing while they can.
