A man has claimed that he was denied entry to a Wetherspoon pub in Gosport, Hampshire, for wearing a poppy
Dec Lea, a right-wing political activist, tried to swing by The Star yesterday after an anti-immigration protest when he was told to turn around.
Lea said in a video posted on X: ‘I’m not wearing any Union Jack material or anything to identify that I’m English other than the poppy.
‘And the Star Wetherspoons denied entry because I was wearing a poppy.’
He added: ‘This is absolutely outrageous… They are informing people who are wearing poppies they are not allowed in their pub.’
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
According to video footage, the pub worker told Lea he couldn’t come inside because of the ‘England stuff’.
‘We’re in England,’ Lea replied, pointing the camera at a Union Jack flag flapping on a lamppost opposite, outside a Ladbrokes betting shop.
Further video shared on Facebook by Reform UK Portmouth councillor George Madwick shows another the Star employee denying patrons entry.
‘It’s a blanket, anything that could – I’m not saying it is – that could be perceived as political,’ they said.
‘If that group down there, if they came down with Pride badges, we’ll also be turning those away.’
Other punters alleged that the pub ‘banned’ them for wearing red poppies on the Wetherspoons complaints Facebook group.
A veteran told The Sun the boozer also blocked him for wearing a poppy, which is ‘too political’.
Hundreds of people waved England and Union flags and chanted ‘deport the lot’, referring to asylum seekers, in Gosport on Sunday.
The ‘Gosport Patriots’ group organised the protest in response to plans to redevelop the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre.
Flyers promoting the event, seen by Metro being shared on the group’s private Facebook page, said: ‘Everyone is welcome on Sunday. Put all differences aside and stand shoulder to shoulder.’
They also chanted, ‘Allah, Allah, who the f**k is Allah?’, according to the local branch of Stand Up to Racism, which organised a counter-protest.
‘Patriots’, the campaign group said, handed out ‘tacky and staggeringly kitsch AI leaflets’.
‘There were some pubs that closed in the area where they assembled, and one on the High Street which denied them entry,’ it added on Facebook.
‘The “patriots” are claiming it was because they were wearing Royal British Legion poppies, but it was actually a decision made to refuse entry to anyone with political insignia.’
J D Wetherspoons does not ban poppies being worn in its pubs.
Its dress code says that pub-goers must be ‘fully-clothed’ and dress ‘in a way which would not cause offence to employees or the public’.
Red poppies are worn ahead of November 11, or Remembrance Day, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War One in 1918.
As Flanders poppies continued to grow in the fields of Western European battlefronts, the flower became a symbol of those who died in the conflict.
J D Wetherspoon denied punter claims that they were refused entry for wearing a remembrance symbol.
The pub chain told Metro: ‘Wetherspoon has been a long- standing supporter of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, with poppies for sale in our pubs, including the Star. There is no ban on poppies in Wetherspoon pubs.
‘However, there were some standard security measures in place [Sunday], as a result of demonstrations in the town.
‘Unfortunately, some members of the public, including some wearing poppies, did not gain entry to the pub.
‘The pub closed to all customers, on advice of the police, at 5pm and remains closed [Sunday].
‘We apologise to any regular customers who have been inconvenienced by [Sunday’s] events and look forward to welcoming everyone back [Monday].’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.