Warning: This story contains descriptions of discrimination which some readers may find distressing.
While on a night out in Manchester’s Gay Village on Saturday (11 April), Maddie Haining was asked to leave a nightclub due to her wheelchair being a safety risk.
The 18-year-old described the now viral ordeal as ‘embarrassing and infuriating’ as she said her and a friend were asked to leave by a bar manager within five minutes of entering Club Tropicana. Maddie also claimed that after she showed staff the Equality Act, the manager threatened to pass on any fines the venue received to her.
She shared a clip on Instagram and said: “It's not okay to be removed from bars because you are disabled and different to other people. If they can be in there then why shouldn't we."
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And Maddie has now claimed in an update that the staff member has been sacked as she said Club Tropicana has formally apologised.
The teen said security staff had helped lift her wheelchair into Club Tropicana and initially told her and her friend that there wasn’t any issue with them being there.
But soon after, they apparently came over to say they were ‘really sorry’ but had been told they had to ask her to leave.
She told the BBC that she asked to speak to the manager who was ‘horribly rude’ the whole time.
"I asked 'how was I a safety risk?' If I was a safety risk they wouldn't have let me in in the first place,” Maddie said.
"They wouldn't explain why, and then the story changed to that I was a fire risk."
Showing the Equality Act and explaining that it was ‘discrimination’, she accused the 'rude' bar manager of ‘not acknowledging anything’.
And after the venue said an investigation was underway, Maddie has now shared that Club Tropicana has ‘formally apologised’.
She wrote on Instagram: “And I’ve had another email now saying after this investigation, where they said ‘The employee you referred to in your complaint is no longer in our employ’ the manager has been fired!!! WOOO.
“And they have said they will be reviewing and updating all their training protocols and other accessibility options are also under review! Changes are happening!!”
Maddie told BBC Radio Manchester that she eventually decided to leave the venue, after asking for names and details in order to file a complaint.
"The whole thing was really embarrassing. I was in a bar with my friends and kept getting security sent over," she said.
"It was infuriating as I showed them the law and they had not taken any of it on board.”
Club Tropicana statement
Business owners at the venue said in statement to LADbible: "We were made aware of the instagram post on Monday 13th and launched an internal investigation as to the incident that occurred with Maddison Haining.
"We received a formal complaint from Maddison on Tuesday 14th to which we replied with an unreserved apology and confirmed that we were currently carrying out an investigation and that we would share the outcome with her as soon as it was completed.
"We sent the outcome of the investigation to Maddison this morning and received a reply back thanking us.
"We have reviewed the CCTV footage and statements from everyone involved. For clarification Club Tropicana is on the first floor up a flight of steps with no disabled access. It is an old building and we have never been advised by the relevant authorities that the building is in contravention to the Equalities Act 2010.
"According to statements from security staff, they informed Maddison that we do not have disabled access to the first floor. She wasn’t refused entry, her friend carried her upstairs on her back and two further companions carried up her wheelchair. It was a busy Saturday night and the manager on duty in his statement, noticing a wheelchair user in the bar was concerned for her safety and the safety of others in case of an emergency evacuation.
"We take full responsibility as business owners for the treatment of Maddison on the night. It was completely indefensible, unacceptable and appalling. We have not made a statement until the investigation was complete and Maddison was informed of the outcome. Part of the outcome of the investigation is that we are reviewing our training protocols. We are also reviewing accessibility to Club Tropicana.
"Once again we offer our sincerest apologies to Maddison for the stress and embarrassment that she experienced in our venue."
Jess Battison