Reform BBQ forced to relocate after brewery cancels booking amid backlash
GB NEWS
| Jake Berry declares 'Britain is broken' as he defends defection from Tories to ReformVenue staff threatened to walk out due to their opposing political views
Don't Miss
Most Read
Trending on GB News
A Reform BBQ has been forced to relocate after a local brewery cancelled the booking.
The political gathering in Norwich was due to take place at Redwell Brewing in Trowse, but faced significant backlash from employees and customers.
The event, which would allow guests to take mock pictures with Nigel Farage, has been rebooked at a different venue, the SugarBeat Eating House in Swainsthorpe, five miles out of the city.
Burgers, merchandise and a photobooth were on offer for the Norwich branch of Reform members.
Venue staff threatened to walk out due to their opposing political views.
Nick Taylor, chairman of the Norwich Reform group, described the move as "unfortunate".
He added: "That is Norwich for you - these people are the last bastion of this sort of attitude that does not tolerate the opinions of others."
Members from both Norwich and South Norfolk will be invited to the new rescheduled event.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The event has been rebooked at a different venue, the SugarBeat Eating House in Swainsthorpe
Stevie King, manager of the firm, said he would have been "pretty stupid" to turn down the booking at a difficult time for the hospitality industry.
He said: "They are spending money and I would be pretty stupid to turn them down - the hospitality industry is hard enough as it is.
"The staff understand that we are a business at the end of the day. Taking a booking from a certain group doesn't underpin our own political beliefs.
"As a business owner, I would never discriminate against someone trying to make a booking."
The political gathering in Norwich was due to take place at Redwell Brewing in Trowse, but faced significant backlash from employees and customers
The Reform UK Norfolk branch has faced cancellations of community events in the past, including an event previously cancelled due to a policy forbidding political party meetings.
Holt Community Centre confirmed the partisan nature of its last-minute decision after initially axing the booking "without explanation" in February.
In a statement, the centre's committee said: "As a registered charity and local community centre, we need to be seen to be independent, non-party political and non-sectarian. We, therefore, do not hire out meeting space for political party meetings.
"In this instance, the fact that this was a political party meeting was not declared on the original booking form and when this fact came to light the event had to be cancelled. All political parties are treated in the same way."
The Reform UK Norfolk branch has faced cancellations of community events in the past
The group has held events at the Wensum Valley Hotel and at Bylaugh Hall near Dereham.
An event at the Red Hart Inn in Bodham was also cancelled after its managers posted a notice on social media to say they had not given consent for a meet-and-great session to be held there.
Nigel Farage has previously spoken on these cancellations, describing the decisions as a threat to democracy.
He said: "I do not know the circumstances at Holt but I am guessing there may have been similar issues with intimidation. Clearly, democracy is under attack by the extreme left-wing mob. This is a threat to the political process."