Wetherspoons has denied imposing a blanket ban on poppies after a viral video showed a customer being turned away from a Hampshire pub for wearing the Remembrance symbol.
The pub chain issued a statement on Monday after footage from The Star in Gosport sparked outrage online, with Reform councillor George Madgwick claiming an army veteran was among those refused entry. Scott Schillemore, 33, who served in the Army from 2009 to 2015, said he was shocked to be blocked despite the chain still selling poppies for the Royal British Legion appeal.
“Wetherspoons still sells poppies, but we’re not allowed to enter a pub with one? It’s ludicrous,” he said.
Madgwick, a former Royal Marines Commando, told the Daily Express: “As a former Royal Marines Commando and current Councillor I am absolutely shocked and sickened to hear that an Army veteran has been refused entry into a Wetherspoons for wearing a poppy!”
“Our servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice must never be treated as though their sacrifice is something to be embarrassed about or hidden away. This whole episode is shameful,” he continued.
A Wetherspoons spokesperson told the Manchester Evening News the company has been a long-standing supporter of the Poppy Appeal, with poppies for sale in its pubs including The Star. “There is no ban on poppies in Wetherspoon pubs,” they said.
The spokesperson added that “standard security measures” were in place because of demonstrations in the town, and “unfortunately, some members of the public, including some wearing poppies, did not gain entry to the pub.”
The Star closed to all customers at 5pm on Sunday and remained shut through Monday, with the spokesperson saying they looked “forward to welcoming everyone back tomorrow.”
Hampshire Constabulary disputed that police had ordered the closure. A spokesperson said: “Following the protest in Gosport, a number of people gathered in Gosport High Street. No offences were identified and police did not ask any pubs to shut their doors. The group soon dispersed on their own.”
Reports said that 400 anti-immigration protestors and 100 counter-protestors gathered in Gosport on Sunday. The demonstrations followed two vessels landing in Hampshire in recent weeks, with occupants taken to a processing centre in Kent, and amid redevelopment of a local immigration removal centre to house 130 migrants awaiting deportation.
Other videos that surfaced online showed some men wearing poppies also sporting political merchandise from an anti-immigration group during the protests. One clip featured a staff member telling a customer there was a ban on “anything that could be perceived as political,” explaining: “That group down there – if they’ve got pride flag badges we’ll also be turning them away. It’s fair for everybody, it is blanket, full stop.”
Another video showed staff offering entry on condition the poppy be removed, with re-wearing it inside grounds for ejection. Some staff reportedly indicated only regulars were being permitted entry that day.
Wetherspoons noted its pubs raise around £60,000 annually for the Royal British Legion, which provides financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans.
The incident comes just over two weeks before Remembrance Day, when millions across Britain wear poppies to honour armed forces members killed in service, particularly during the first and second world wars.