[imagesource: Twitter / @ethan348]
Hank’s Olde Irish, located on Bree Street in the heart of Cape Town’s CBD, is under fire after a series of videos went viral.
In the footage, Christopher Logan is seen confronting an owner after his friend, Thabiso Danca, was allegedly denied entrance based on his race.
It wasn’t long before the footage blew up and on Twitter, the original tweet is nearing 5 000 retweets and has passed 250 000 views.
According to SABC News, Danca alleges the bouncer told him that according to the pub’s right of admission policy, he needed to be accompanied by a white person to enter.
There are three parts to the video. Firstly, this exchange:
Hank’s Olde Irish / Love Thy Neighbour turning people of colour away if they aren’t “accompanied by a white person”??? Surprise, surprise another racist watering hole… @CapeTimesSA @mailandguardian pic.twitter.com/nvRhzlcgep
— nathannnnn (@Natenoged) December 3, 2022
Then these videos:
Part 3 where coward-in-chief half asses his way through a sheepish apology pic.twitter.com/SAWy1M56TS
— nathannnnn (@Natenoged) December 4, 2022
In the second video below, it’s alleged that an assault then took place:
They were then assaulted and beaten up by the owner and staff pic.twitter.com/dtbAlNRHfA
— Ethan jacobs (@ethan348) December 4, 2022
The establishment has since released a statement, according to Cape Town Etc:
[They say] that in their 30 years of service, there had never been any instruction to staff to disallow patrons entrance on the basis of race or gender discrimination. They added that charges of assault had been opened against Logan and that the matter was subject to further investigation.
“We as owners have never- nor will we ever instruct our staff- to discriminate on any basis whatsoever, whether that be gender, sexual orientation or race,” read the statement.
“We want to place on record that we are extremely concerned for the well-being and safety of the staff involved, therefore we will not be commenting any further while we conduct an internal disciplinary process about these allegations and the police conduct their criminal investigation into the case of assault opened against the individual making accusations in the video.”
CCTV footage has been supplied to police for further investigation, although it does not have audio.
Logan and Danca subsequently appeared on SABC News.
From the three-minute mark, you can see the two in conversation with the anchor. The CCTV footage is aired around the 7:15 mark:
The EFF made a point of popping past the pub to let everyone know it had visited:
EFF WC was informed about a racist incident that took place at Hanks Olde Irish Pub on 110 Bree where a white racist told a black person to be accompanied by a white person in order for him to be granted entry into the pub. EFF was there but the place was closed. #RacismMustFall pic.twitter.com/U5IKDWvUXX
— EFF_Western Cape (@EFFWesternCape_) December 4, 2022
EFF WESTERN CAPE RESPONDS TO THE UGLY FACE OF RACISM THAT HAS RESURFACED AT HANK’S OLDE IRISH PUB IN NO 110 BREE STREET IN CAPE TOWN #RacismMustFall @EFFSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/B6immnwob5
— EFF_Western Cape (@EFFWesternCape_) December 5, 2022
The EFF says it wishes to “notify the public that the Hank’s Olde Irish Pub at 110 Bree Street is currently closed until further notice”.
There has been no official comment across Hanks’ various social media platforms about being closed. Comments have been turned off on Instagram and Facebook, although a few had already snuck through the net on the latter:
When the EFF’s ‘GROUND FORCE’ has been called in, it might be wise to shutter the doors for a while.
