Moment French Escort Vessel ‘Picks Up Migrant Dinghy Just Two Miles From French Coast

This is the moment a French escort vessel allegedly picked up a migrant dinghy just two miles from the country’s coast before taking them across the Channel to British waters.

Videos of the French vessel Minck looking for migrants on Tuesday night surfaced online.

Then, at roughly 12.40 on Wednesday morning, it seems to have come upon a dinghy off the shore of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

However, the ship is said to head towards the British Seas so that the asylum seekers may be processed in Dover, Kent, around 3.30 am, rather than leaving them to be processed in France.

The user, who goes by The Little Veteran on X, captioned the post: ‘This video will open your eyes to everything that’s going on in the Channel.’

Even though the weather was bad, with heavy gusts in the Dover Straits, a group of about fifty asylum seekers, most of them male, landed at the Port of Dover on Wednesday.

It was approximately midday when a Border Force catamaran took them into the port at Dover.

On February 25, 290 migrants—an average of 58 individuals packed onto each inflatable dinghy—took the dangerous voyage in five different vessels.

This surpasses the record number of individuals crossing in a single day for over a month, with 358 people being counted on January 17.

Kevin Saunders, former chief immigration officer at the UK Border Force, discussed the footage on GB News and called it a ‘taxi service’.

He said, ‘From the French point of view, they don’t regard the law of the sea as the same way we do.

‘The French view is that they will only get involved and rescue these people if they ask for help. They say they are not allowed to go and get them, pick them up, and take them back to France.

‘We don’t necessarily agree with that, but that is the French interpretation. So they are basically shadowing the vessel to make sure it’s alright.’

According to official government numbers, 2,006 asylum seekers have been reported crossing the Channel in 43 boats so far in 2024.

The statistics coincided with the prime minister’s denial that he is disregarding community concerns expressed about the use of RAF Scampton, close to Lincoln, as a shelter for asylum seekers.

This has to end because our nation cannot tolerate the ongoing misuse of its charitable resources.

Both Labour and the Tories are welcoming these individuals with open arms, but ultimately, something will have to give as chaos is approaching and people are realising the reality.

This is absurd; what is happening, and why are our betraying Members of Parliament doing nothing at all? The reason is that it’s extremely profitable for our administration to bring over illegal immigrants.

All of us are utterly submissive bootlickers who must rise beyond our kneeling and realise the immense harm that our blind allegiance to the Conservatives has caused to our nation.

It’s very simple. Our government needs to create a hostile environment for these illegals. No accommodation, no meals, no clothing, no phone, no benefits, and add in the mix of instant removal when caught. They won’t want to come to our country, then.

The UK are the hand-wringing laughing stock of the planet because the Tories are the ones that invited these dinghy folk to our shores, and now they need to take care of the matter. But don’t worry, Rishi Sunak has a plan, or perhaps not! He’s just counting the money in his piggy bank that his wife gives him as pocket money.

Hotels And Asylum Support Hit £5.4 Billion As Small Boat Numbers Soar

This year, the public will spend a record £5.4 billion, or £15 million per day, on migrant hotels and other forms of refugee help.

The Home Office had to get an additional £4 billion from the Treasury to cover a significant overspend on refugee accommodation due to skyrocketing prices.

According to official documents, the Home Office would overspend £5.9 billion in the fiscal year 2023–24 on all sectors related to immigration and asylum.

According to a Labour Party review of the data, there was an ‘eye-watering’ £4.3 billion overspending on refugee help throughout the course of the year.

Currently, over 50,000 asylum seekers are staying in hotels throughout the nation on a full-board basis.

The £5.4 billion also covers asylum seekers living in self-catering accommodation, who receive £49.18 a week for each person in their household to cover food, clothing, and other costs.

In a letter to the Commons Home Affairs committee, published yesterday, Home Office mandarin Sir Matthew Rycroft said asylum was ‘a volatile area to budget’.

The permanent secretary said the £4 billion extra allocated to asylum support ‘was not an unanticipated spend but a result of record levels of small-boat arrivals since the Spending Review 2021’.

In addition, the Home Office was given an extra £1.2 billion to implement the Illegal Migration Act and Rishi Sunak’s ten-point plan to combat illegal immigration, which he set out in July 2022. The department also secured an extra £500 million for Afghan resettlement schemes. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said, ‘This lays bare the complete chaos the Tories have created in the asylum system.

‘They are spending billions on hotel rooms because of their failure to clear the backlog of asylum applications. Despite promises of action from the Prime Minister, they have not delivered and now the Home Secretary has been forced to go to the Chancellor with a begging bowl because he’s bust his budget by over £5 billion.’

Immigration minister Michael Tomlinson said, ‘Labour have no plan to stop the boats and would take us back to square one, meaning unlimited and uncontrolled immigration. Sir Keir Starmer’s approach to immigration would mean an extra 250,000 migrants a year.’

The government plan to remove ‘irregular’ migrants to Rwanda—to claim asylum there rather than here—was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court in November.

There’s an endless money tree for boat arrivals but no funding for the NHS, schools, or any other public services.

Our Prime Minister and MPs are the enemies of the state. The trouble is, it won’t be any better under Labour if they get elected. This is insane, and it has to stop. But, folks, it’s all by design.

Then there are our PTSD-affected ex-servicemen who are homeless in the UK. Our politicians appear to be betraying the United Kingdom.

Getting rid of all these boat people ought to be the priority. Brexit was meant to put an end to this, but now we have fishy Rishi and his MP buddies who are always lying to us.

This is truly ridiculous. Taxpayers’ money is wasted on political cowardice. No wonder we’re strapped for cash; this is all political suicide, but then it’s all about making massive profits.

Our government gives us all these promises, but then they refuse to act. We need to get Britain back under control with a new leader. One that isn’t kept by a multi-millionaire wife. Someone who has had to struggle very hard in life and has worked hard for what they’ve got. Someone who didn’t go to a private school and wasn’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Poor People Are Told To Eat Cornflakes For Dinner By Kellogg’s CEO

To conserve money, the CEO of Kellogg’s has proposed that those in poverty eat cornflakes for supper.

Gary Pilnick, who joined the firm in 2000 and was appointed CEO in October, acknowledged that rising food costs brought on by inflation had put a burden on Americans’ finances.

Pilnick, however, advocated for consumers to eat more cereal at all hours of the day rather than offering advice on how to save costs.

Pilnick, who earns around $5 million a year, said, “If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that’s going to be much more affordable.”

Pilnick also claimed that it could help a “consumer under pressure” as the price of a bowl of cereal is “less than a dollar.”

He added, “In general, the cereal category is a place that a lot of folks might come to because the price of a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit is less than a dollar. So you can imagine why a consumer under pressure might find that to be a good place to go.”

Naturally, a lot of individuals found his remarks to be quite offensive.

One person wrote: “Greedflation is forcing families to make choices like eating cereal for dinner to save money. Kellogg’s CEO is bragging about it while they show the huge climb in corporate profits that helped create the problem in the first place. F*** this sh*t.”

Another wrote, “Meanwhile, he’s eating at 5-star restaurants every night, and when he isn’t, his personal chef cooks him dinner. Absolutely disgusting. Eat. The. Rich.”

A third commented: “‘Wasn’t it Marie Antoinette who said, when advised that the peasants in France were starving to death, ‘Well, then, let them eat cereal’? We all know how that turned out.”

I do love cereal, but I wouldn’t want it for supper. Maybe as a snack instead of crisps and chocolate.

While some cereals are healthier than others, have you looked at the ingredients in the Lucky Charms brand?

Cereals contain carbs, and too many carbs are not that good for you, although they will make you feel full up after you’ve eaten them.

Gary Pilnick, rich people don’t have to think about cereal for supper, and have you seen how much a box of cereal costs these days? You’ve certainly put a lot of thought into your comment.

Someone with such wealth would have no idea what it’s like to be impoverished; therefore, he should keep his opinions to himself. Maybe he could give part of his money to the impoverished if he wants to assist with his recommendations.

This man should be put on minimum wage for 6 months and see how quickly his attitude changes.

Cornflakes are just a taster, next he’ll be suggesting we eat bugs for dinner.

This is straight from a Charles Dickens novel, and to think we are lining this man’s pockets.

This nation was meant to see improvements rather than declines. Even illegal immigrants are now nourished better than native-born citizens.

This man is clearly a snob, and I bet he didn’t earn all of his money honestly. You know tax fiddles, offshore accounts, et cetera, and as many perks as he could grab.

It is the twenty-first century, not the Victorian era, and everyone should have the right to wholesome food rather than be forced to subsist on cereal.

I’ll wager that if you ask him what he has for supper, it’s not cereal.

In The Budget, Jeremy Hunt Targets Smokers And Vapers

The price of a packet of cigarettes could hit £16 as Jeremy Hunt targets smokers and vapers in the budget.

To discourage kids from being drawn to vaping devices, the Chancellor plans to introduce a new tax that will generate income for the Treasury.

Tobacco levies will be increased in the budget package the following week, though, so there is still reason for individuals to choose vapes. 

Mr Hunt raised the typical pack’s price by £1.55 last spring; it currently stands at £14.39. 

As government officials attempt to lower expectations, Mr Hunt is coming under pressure from the Conservatives to increase tax cuts.

MPs are demanding he goes further than the 1p off national insurance that has been signalled, warning that is the only way of shifting grim polls showing Labour on track for a big election win.

According to Treasury insiders, the Chancellor will only have a little leeway in next week’s budget—roughly £13 billion, based on projections.

He has been forced to scale back planned cuts and is now looking at taking just 1p off National Insurance, rather than income tax, and extending the fuel duty freeze.

The combined cost of the two measures would be about £5.5 billion annually, and Mr Hunt is rumoured to wish to leave between £6 and £7 billion as a safety net.

The budget will be completed on Friday once he receives the last set of headroom estimates from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The Chancellor had previously considered a 2p cut in income tax and a reduction to stamp duty and inheritance tax. The Treasury said any claims about the contents of the package were ‘speculation’.

Yesterday, the reputable IFS increased the pressure on the Chancellor by pointing out that by the end of the decade, stealth taxes will increase the tax burden by over £100 billion. 

According to the forecast, taxes in 2023–2024 will total around £66 billion more than they would have if they had stayed at the same percentage of national income as in 2018–19. 

By 2028–29, it is forecast to be the equivalent of £104 billion in today’s terms. Any new tax cuts would only ‘partially offset this record-breaking increase’ in tax revenue, according to the IFS. 

Conservative grandee Sir John Redwood, who headed Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit, said that ‘there is plenty of scope for prudent tax cuts’.

Mr Hunt needs to send all illegals back and cut NHS waiting lists because if he doesn’t, he’s toast.

England has had it, and we need leaders who can see the simple facts.

Can they not see that the more people they let in, the bigger the debt becomes? These people don’t contribute because if they did, we would not be in the mess that we are in now. Lending money is not smart; it’s bordering on Bernie Madoff as a business plan.

We also have some of the highest levels of air pollution, and if you think it comes from breathing in secondhand smoke, you are mistaken. Since the 18th century and earlier, England has experienced severe pollution. This hasn’t come suddenly; rather, our government wants you to believe differently.

What it boils down to is the fact that we are the government’s cash cow.

What does our government think they’re going to achieve? All they’re doing is raising taxes, and they’re driving the economy into the ground. They’ve put us into a recession with their enormous greed, and now they want to push taxes up even further. I’m not sure who I’ll be voting for, but it definitely won’t be Conservative.

After Being Accused Of Drug Dealing At A Rave, Festival-Goers Locked Up In Romania Describe Being Treated Like ‘Animals’ In A ‘Hellish’ Jail

British festival attendees who have spent months incarcerated in a Romanian prison have spoken of the “hellish” circumstances there, including aggressive inmates fighting with knives and infested quarters with rats and insects.

Up to twelve British nationals were detained as they went to the Sunwaves music festival in April of last year, and they are currently being held captive in a jail located in the east coast city of Constanta.

Among them is 29-year-old Ethan Gill, who was found guilty of narcotics trafficking and sentenced to six years in prison.

The former Birmingham tool design engineer claims that the jail system treats him and the other prisoners like “animals.”

Images from within depict squalid and claustrophobic circumstances, with convicts sharing small, antiquated bunk beds and unclean bathrooms and toilets.

Ethan said from prison, ‘It’s appalling. The only toilet is a hole in the ground, which is rarely cleaned.

‘For breakfast, we get a single slice of salami; for lunch, we get soup, which is just water and carrots; our calorie intake is minimal.

‘The lights are on 24 hours a day, you have to cover your eyes just to sleep, the water comes out of the tap brown.

‘There’s bed lice everywhere and we only get two showers per week.’

Ethan worked as a tool design engineer at top car companies, but he says his life has been turned upside down since the arrest, and there is no end in sight.

He says that when he was in Constanta, he was with another guy who supplied narcotics to someone.

Moments afterwards, armed cops stormed their hotel, which made him think the buyer was an undercover cop.

According to Ethan, twelve Britons were taken into custody, among them Jay Anthony Cabrera Fletcher, a resident of north London.

Jay’s brother Jordan said, ‘They are all trying to keep their spirits up, but it’s very hard.

‘Jay says there are rats and cockroaches, and it’s so cold at night they have to sleep with jackets on.’

Ethan added, ‘It’s all been so traumatic; the first three months here, I was just in a state of shock.

‘There have been knife fights, stabbings, there’s also a lot of self-harm; one guy slit his own throat, it’s so common.’

Ethan has forked out £20,000 on legal fees for their lawyer, while his mother, despite being 63, has gone back to working full-time in sales support to support him.

Life choices do have consequences, but they have to be done humanely, with proper drinking water, not water that comes out of the tapes brown in colour.

It must have come as a shock to these youths to see how the other half live, no wonder these people want to come to the UK to live.

But you’d be mistaken if you thought dining in prison was a five-star experience—it’s definitely neither opulent nor healthful, but then it’s prison; it’s not supposed to be 5 stars, but then people shouldn’t have to sleep with lice or bed bugs in their beds—it’s called humanity, and if we don’t have that, then we may as well go back to being apes in the jungle.

Whatever their form, drugs are drugs, whether they come from alcohol, cannabis, or smoking, and they should all be illegal. It is impossible to have two sets of morals; if you are against drugs, you should also be against alcohol and everything else. However, some individuals choose not to recognise this.

I Was Fined £500 And Threatened With Jail For Putting Rubbish Bags Next To My Full Wheelie Bin

The £500 fine that a man received for placing several garbage bags next to his fully loaded wheelie bin has been slammed as “ridiculous.”

Ben Riley put the four black bin bags out, thinking it would be fine, as he had done the same before while living in another part of the country.

But he was shocked to be dragged into a ‘formal interview’ before being issued a fixed penalty notice by Ipswich Borough Council in Suffolk and faced jail if he refused to pay.

He appealed but has now been told that had been rejected.

‘It is ridiculous how extreme it is. I have been threatened with five years in prison or an unlimited fine if this goes to court,’ he said.

‘Another man dumped a chest of drawers and got fined £200. I just put a few plastic bags next to my wheelie bin outside my garden gate and am fined £500.’

Mr Riley, who also mixed up collection dates, which meant he put the wrong bin out six days early, added, ‘My wheelie bin was full. I’ve only recently moved to Ipswich from Essex. I lived there 28 years of my life, and the council never moaned about a bag next to a wheelie bin before, but here it’s a big deal.

‘Back home, you could happily put rubbish bags next to your bin, and they would be taken by the binmen. I have never been issued with a fine or anything in the 28 years I lived there.

‘I also got mixed up with which bin was being collected that week, so it was six days before bin collections.

‘It’s not like I’ve dumped a mattress or a television set in the middle of the road. It’s next to my back gate.

‘£500 for a first offence is a bit extreme. I have just put general waste next to my wheelie bin because it was too full.’

On February 13, the fixed penalty notice was sent out, and nine days later, Mr. Riley’s appeal was denied.

John Cook, the borough councillor responsible for communities and sports, warned the bags had posed a risk to public health and insisted there would be no backing down.

‘Waste left on the street can cause public health issues and encourage anti-social behaviour,’ he said.

The council works for us, not the other way around. If they feel that people are putting out their rubbish before bin day, that’s because they need to, and therefore the council should employ private workers to clear any rubbish at the weekend as well, because collecting rubbish one day a week is just not enough.

Never leave anything outside that has your name and address on it. Even if you did put it in the recycling sacks, animals can rip them open, leaving your name-branded trash exposed to the elements. Council employees will then walk around looking for these names and addresses in order to fine you because, people, it’s all about the money.

I used to destroy addresses over a worry of identity theft; now, I do it because of vindictive councils biting the hand that feeds them.

Fly-tipping may decrease if authorities emptied the bins more frequently. That would certainly help.

Welcome to the New Britain, the great bit was lost long ago, where, due to the likes of Rishi Sunak and his best money-making buddy, Sadiq Khan, the coin catcher, you can and will be fined at any time, anywhere, for anything they see fit to remove money from you. It used to be called highway robbery; now it’s just called tax.

‘We’re Putting Our Baby Up For Adoption; She’s Not A Good Fit For The Family’

A couple has sparked outrage after deciding to put their three-month-old baby up for adoption because she ‘doesn’t fit in well’ with their family. The dad took to Reddit to share the shocking story, explaining that his wife, Catherine, 33, returned to work just two weeks after giving birth, and their daughter, Elizabeth, is primarily cared for by her grandmother.

He said, “I go to work later than her [my wife], so I take morning duty, but she gets home earlier than I do, so she takes evening duty. During the day, Elizabeth stays with my mother-in-law.” However, he noticed that Catherine was neglecting their newborn’s emotional needs. “Catherine really doesn’t have anything to do with her. Even if she is crying, unless it’s for a real reason (like being hungry or wet), Catherine doesn’t do anything to soothe her,” the 35-year-old added.

“I know that babies sometimes cry for no reason and that picking Elizabeth up every time she cries could reinforce the crying, shouldn’t she at least pick her up and soothe her a bit? Plus, even when she’s not crying, Catherine doesn’t interact with her.” Finding it hard to connect with their baby girl and longing for their old life back, the couple decided to put their three-month-old up for adoption. Before taking this step, the dad sought advice from Reddit users about the adoption process.

He asked, “I will be consulting a lawyer this week, but prefer to go in with some idea of what to expect. My wife and I wish to place our three-month-old daughter up for adoption. Are there any laws that could impact this process? Could members of our family file against our decision to adopt out? How long can we expect the entire process to take?”

Reddit users were taken aback and questioned how they came to this decision. The dad confessed that their daughter is “not a good fit for the family,” and having a baby has made “taking holidays awkward for his wife.”

He shared: “My wife broke the news to my mother-in-law of our decision to adopt. She reacted poorly, which is to be expected, and with a great deal of yelling. This did not endear her to my wife, who finds yelling annoying, but attempts to placate the yelling resulted in more yelling.”

He continued: “In short, my mother-in-law first blamed her deceased ex-husband for my wife ‘turning out like this’ and then myself for our decision. I was called a number of names and learned that my mother-in-law had disapproved of me from the start of the relationship and otherwise trashed.”

“It went on to the point that Catherine eventually threatened to ensure my mother-in-law never saw our daughter again if she would not be reasonable. That quieted my mother-in-law enough for my wife to lay out how the upcoming months would go.”

The couple then told the mother-in-law she could adopt Elizabeth if she wanted; otherwise, she would be placed with another family. “Our daughter was going up for adoption; this was non-negotiable. My mother-in-law, having assisted in her care, could take custody if she so wished.”

“My sister-in-law would be a permissible alternate. Otherwise, we would pursue outside arrangements. As many predicted, my mother-in-law opted to assume custody herself, and we started that process after Thanksgiving.”

After hearing this, the mother-in-law took the three-month-old baby, left the house, and stayed in a hotel. “Shortly thereafter, my sister-in-law called, in the end, she threatened to call the police if we attend [family gatherings],” he said.

“Communication from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law has been sparse since my mother-in-law left. From what we know, she and Elizabeth are staying with my sister-in-law for the time being. Moving forward, we are cooperating as much as possible to ensure the transition of legal custody over Elizabeth goes smoothly.”

“My mother-in-law thus far refused any and all offers of financial aid, but we are prepared to pay child support if/when the time arrives.” Some people praised him for ‘saving his daughter from a lifetime of misery’, while others criticised him for ‘not even trying to be a parent’ before giving up.

One person commented, “I don’t understand why everyone is so mad. They’re s****y parents and realise that. The kid is probably better off being put up for adoption.” Another said, “Therapy has not been tried by either parent. Therapy needs to be tried.”

A third asked, “Now this is an odd situation. Would it be better for a pair of parents who are willing to send off their three-month-old child for whatever sociopathic reason to continue to raise said child, or should they go through with the adoption, preventing the child from being raised by a bunch of weirdos?”

Some might say that this couple is very self-centred, and perhaps they should have kept it in their pants if they didn’t want their lives to be inconvenienced.

Maybe the mother needs help since she may be suffering from postpartum depression.

It brings me great joy to know that there is someone who genuinely cares for this unfortunate girl and is prepared to give her the best possible life. Sadly, her heart will be destroyed when she grows up and discovers that her parents didn’t love her enough to raise her themselves. Hopefully, her grandma will love her enough to help her through this.

Southampton Police Solve The Mystery Of The Human Placenta Found By A Schoolboy

Police have figured out why a youngster in Southampton discovered a human placenta in a park.

In June of last year, a fifteen-year-old student discovered the placenta in Shirley, Southampton’s Holly Brook Park. This led to an eight-month, expensive hunt for the mother.

Hampshire Police now say ‘certain ethnic practices’ led to the baby’s placenta being left in the park after analysis by a genetic scientist revealed the DNA profile of the mother of the baby was most likely of sub-Saharan heritage, probably West African.

According to officers, placenta burial is associated with customs from West African civilizations.

They also revealed that the investigation took eight months because the family was unaware of the search, despite the intense publicity it generated.

A £5,000 reward was put out in October because investigators thought there could have been a crime involved.

Police say their priority throughout the inquiry was always the welfare of the mother and her baby, but they also needed to be certain that no criminal act had taken place.

A large team of officers, led by Detective Chief Inspector Elizabeth Pirie, pursued endless lines of inquiry.

Armed with DNA analysis of the family’s ethnicity, they reached out to the relevant communities in the city.

Working with the NHS, they also checked records relating to births and deaths over a five- to ten-day period and tried to establish which mothers had taken their placenta home.

Cross-referencing data and employing a process of elimination to focus the search took a significant amount of time.

They eventually narrowed in on a certain family and utilised DNA testing to be sure they had located the correct individuals.

Southampton Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy said: ‘They weren’t aware of the media’s involvement and didn’t see what we had put out.

‘But once they were made aware, they were really happy to engage with us and very pleased for the police support. They are lovely people—a great family.’

Asked why the placenta was buried, he said the reason appeared to be cultural.

‘During the investigation, our priority was always the welfare of the mother and her child. I know how traumatic childbirth can be and how the mother always needs medical support afterwards.’

Chief Inspector Kennedy said he was ‘comfortable’ with the time taken to solve the mystery and the number of officers involved in the inquiry.

It goes without saying that burying human waste in a public park is inappropriate when it comes to placenta disposal.

The cost of investigating the matter would have been considerable, but understandable. However, this should never have happened. You might be able to bury your placenta anywhere you like in the Sahara, but not in our public parks.

The family wouldn’t have considered the placenta human waste, but would have considered it a spiritual part of their child and ritually buried it in what they considered an auspicious place to ensure the good fortune and health of their precious child. For them, digging up the placenta would have been akin to someone digging up the grave of their child and abusing the body.

I understand that it’s their practice, but now they live in our country, and this isn’t our practice. I’m sure they’re a very nice family, though, but are they going to reimburse the taxpayer for money wasted on the investigation?

It’s not actually that disgusting burying a placenta. What do you think people did before birth in hospitals? However, we do have hospitals now – perhaps they should have fried it with some onions and had it for dinner as part of the ritual. Hannibal Lecter, eat your heart out—yummy!

Race Row As Black Father Claims He Was ‘Refused Paint For His Son By Hobbycraft Staff Because They Assumed He Would Use It To GRAFFITI’

A black father alleges that when purchasing paint for his son at an arts and crafts business, he was “racially profiled” and “refused service” because the employees thought he would commit an “incidence of graffiti.” 

But Hobbycraft says it was because he could not provide ID for an age-related product.

Louis Gray, from Cardiff, alleges he was refused service at his local Hobbycraft store on Saturday when trying to buy spray paint with his four-year-old son so that he could have a bike helmet in ‘a new colour to be like his idol’. 

Mr Gray said, ‘I was buying spray paint to ironically spray my 4-year-old’s bike helmet a new colour to be like his idol. You need to be 16 to buy spray paint in the UK! Cool I accept that, but that’s in place to stop ‘incidences of graffiti’, in my opinion very different to gambling and alcohol.’

In an email to Mr Gray, Hobbycraft apologised for his ‘recent experience’ and said the reason why he was refused service was because he could not provide ID for an age-restricted product.

They said they were continuing to investigate the incident and said they had a ‘zero tolerance approach’ to racism. 

According to government legislation, it is an offence to sell aerosol spray paints to persons under the age of 16, with the objective to ‘reduce the incidence of criminal damage’ caused by ‘acts of graffiti’.

Mr Gray claims he was ‘surrounded’ by three members of staff—one who was allegedly ‘wearing a bodycam to record the transaction’ and one who allegedly ‘waved his hands in the air’ to signal more staff.

Mr Gray believes he was ‘racially profiled’ by staff at the store and ‘refused service’ based on the colour of his skin and because he was wearing a ‘Nike tracksuit and Yeezys’.

He said, ‘It was the first time I have experienced racial profiling in front of my child. It’s something I always thought I could protect him from, however, today, it was stolen from me. I was judged in front of him, I had to stay strong and keep my head up in the face of adversity.’

In an email to Mr Gray, Hobbycraft said, ‘We would once again like to apologise for your recent experience in our store. We have a zero-tolerance approach to racism here at Hobbycraft, and this is not how we want any of our customers to feel. As an employer, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for our colleagues and customers and therefore take your feedback very seriously.

‘We are continuing to investigate this with our Newport store team. Your situation involved the purchase of an age-restricted product which requires age verification, meaning all colleagues are trained to ask for ID should they believe the customer is under the age of 25. As you were unable to share ID with our colleagues, they were unfortunately unable to authorise the sale.

Regarding the race card, I’m not sure, but it’s obvious that this man is older than sixteen or twenty-one. Since the man was clearly too old to be ID’d for the item he was attempting to buy, Hobbycraft didn’t need to ID him.

My son was ID’d for Rizla papers once. He never got served because he never had ID on him. My son was definitely over the age of 21 at the time, and earlier he had gone through the main checkout to buy alcohol, which he wasn’t ID’d for. I complained to the company, which I will not mention, and all they said was that they would give their staff additional training. Unfortunately, some of the staff behind the tills run on having a power kick and enjoy it.

I understand that some people don’t always look their age, and the cashier might not be sure, but this guy clearly looked over 21 and therefore should not have been ID’d.

Regarding the race card, I’m not sure. He could have believed it to be the cause, and it might have been, but we won’t know for sure until the CCTV evidence is shown, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon. The store must retrain its employees on its policies.

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