Closed Minds and Flatpacks - IKEA ban Gypsies

From http://dawnhfoster.wordpress.com

So, @Luke_Mas went to Croydon Ikea the other day. Not particularly exciting, you might think. Except, on the way in, the store’s security stopped him, because, as he tells me:

I went to IKEA last week and on arriving (in my girlfriend’s mum’s camper van) we were stopped from entering on the basis that we were ‘Gypsies’.

A long conversation followed after which we were let in, but I went back to remonstrate with the parking attendant and I recorded the attached audio clip of him saying that ‘IKEA has every right’ not to allow Gypsies in because they’re a problem. I obviously told him that this was unacceptable. I’m guessing you know that Romany Gypsies have been recognised as an ethnic group under the 1976 Race Relations act so this constitutes overt racial discrimination. He said it was store policy and I should go and speak with the manager.

Anyway – I thought the whole thing was appalling and I’m sending them through the attached letter today.
Their customer relations are so poor that you can’t even email them so I have to send them a written letter. I just think it’s outrageous and I’d like people to take them up on it.

Luke also sent me this clip he recorded of part of the exchange:

So Ikea are patrolling the area, profiling customers and refusing entry on the basis that some people “look like Gypsies”? There isn’t any part of this that isn’t unsettling.

Luke’s complaint letter is below.

IKEA Ltd
Customer Relations
Kingston Park
Peterborough
PE2 9ET

Monday 11th June 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

I visited your Croydon store last week on Monday 4th June with my partner and her mother. On arriving, as we pulled into the car park, we were flagged down by an IKEA parking attendant. This man asked us to wind down the window. When my partner’s mother (who was driving) wound down the window, he asked us: “Are you Gypsies?”

We were honestly gobsmacked. The question obviously arose because we were travelling in a small camper van (a van-like vehicle which can be slept in overnight, because this is my partner’s mother’s mode of transport which she uses to go camping). But to say that this does not justify the question does not go any way to express our bewilderment and disgust at it.

My partner simply said “Excuse me?! Are you serious?” The man replied that we weren’t allowed to come in if we were Gypsies. So we were forced to explain that we weren’t Travellers, and were simply trying to shop at IKEA. It is honestly the first time I have ever had to request to be allowed entry to spend money at a store.

When the employee explained that “they’ve been coming here a lot”, we said that we didn’t think it was acceptable for IKEA to be carrying out such a discriminatory policy. He said, “I’m sorry I just thought you were Gypsies” – as if this was a satisfactory response. With a queue of cars beeping behind us, he waved us past.

After we had parked up I went to remonstrate with the attendant and said that what he was doing was totally unacceptable (I have an audio recording of this conversation). He apologised for thinking we were Gypsies.

I asked him what he would have done if we had said we were Gypsies, and he said “If you’d said yes I wouldn’t have let you in – we are stopping them because they are coming in and taking the places of our loyal customers”.

When I said that I didn’t think that it was legal to discriminate on what is a recognised ethnic group he said ‘IKEA has every right to ask them not to come in… you can go and speak to the manager’.

I’m disgusted that this is apparently authorised practice at IKEA and I am writing to demand to an explanation and apology for this policy and also an apology for the absurd intimidation we faced on trying to enter your store – to give you money! It’s repulsive.

Yours sincerely,

Luke Massey

I’m not happy with the way Luke was treated, or Ikea’s attitude to travelling communities. I can’t see myself spending any money there in future.

see also The Daily Mail - Ikea sends Gypsies flat packing: Store tells camper van driver that Travellers are banned from the car park

The Independent - 'Are you a Gypsy?' Ikea tells caravan owner that Travellers are barred from its car parks

The Huffington Post - Ikea Accused Of Racism After Turning Gypsies Away

The Telegraph - Ikea employs security guards to stop Gypsies entering car parks