Spoons bouncer says being called the n-word was ‘worse than having a knife pulled on him’

Birmingham bouncer, Tristan Price has described how the racist attack has impacted him more than when someone pulled a knife on him.

The doorman, who works at the Figure of Eight Wetherspoons on Broad Street, was called the n-word and spat at by a 24-year-old woman after refusing to allow her to re-enter the bar.

A video of the incident, which occurred on Saturday night between 10pm and 11.30pm, has since gone viral on social media.

The woman now faces being barred from all venues in Birmingham city centre.

Katie McRobert, a second year English Language student was at the Figure of Eight pub on Saturday night. She described to the Birmingham Tab, “I was sitting in Spoons and I turned round and saw this girl storming down the bar.

“She was clearly really angry, swearing and throwing chairs. She was being quite violent and really loud,” she explained.

According to West Midlands police, the woman is accused of “damaging furniture inside the premises”, as well as the racial abuse.

Katie told The Birmingham Tab how, after the woman exited Spoons, she could see her “trying to get back in for ages.

“We could hear her complaining and shouting and being racist towards the bouncers.”

As captured in the video, this included calling 26-year-old bouncer Tristan Price a “fucking n*****” and “black c***” and spitting at him.

Katie alleges that the woman then “pushed the bouncer into the door and made the glass part of the door crack.

“The girl’s behaviour was really scary and intimidating,” Katie told the Birmingham Tab. “We thought it was going to be the start of a big fight especially as she kept coming back and didn’t seem to want to leave.”

The bouncer has since spoken out about the attack, saying he wants justice to be served. “I don’t want to bring trouble to her door,” he told the Birmingham Mail, “but this behaviour needs to be called out. It is completely unacceptable.

“People have killed themselves because of the racial abuse they suffer, and we can’t be silent about it,” he added.

Tristan, who has worked as a bouncer for over a year, told the Birmingham Mail: “I have had a knife pulled on me while at work, which was pretty shocking.”

However, the doorman explained that the knife incident “went out of my head more quickly to be honest – it felt easier to deal with, the adrenaline kicked in, it was dealt with and then forgotten”.

He called Saturday’s incident “worse”, because it “was different. It stayed with me, it really affected me in a different way. It was so vicious.

“As a black man, and as a doorman, I am conscious there is a stigma about both those things. I feel I have to carry myself calmly because I know actions might be magnified because of the colour of my skin”, he said, adding that he has experienced “incidents but the use of racist language has not been a regular occurrence.”

Following the tirade, Wetherspoons have barred the woman from the Figure of Eight for life.

It has since been revealed that the woman could face a lifetime ban on entering all pubs and bars in Birmingham city centre.

The general manager of Broad Street business group Westside BID, Mike Olley told the Birmingham Mail: “As well as Wetherspoon’s ban, we will also be seeking for her to be banned for life from all city centre venues.

“We will be reporting the incident to all other city centre BIDs and to the city’s Pub Watch group, as we simply do not want and will not tolerate someone who exhibits this abhorrent sort of behaviour.”

A Spoons spokesperson stated: “We can confirm the incident took place outside the pub on Saturday night.

“The woman in question had been ejected for her behaviour. She spat her drink towards the member of door staff and also racially abused him.

“She also caused issues as she was leaving. This behaviour is completely unacceptable and the woman is barred for life.”

“We will also be pursuing her for criminal damage and passing on the CCTV and bodycam footage to the police.”

Birmingham Chief Police Inspector, James Spencer told the Birmingham Mail: “It’s an awful incident and people are understandably disgusted. We said we would prioritise the investigation and that’s now led to the swift arrest of a suspect.

“Our city centre police teams have been working hard with local businesses to make the city a safe and enjoyable place to visit. Racist behaviour is completely unacceptable and we are taking this report very seriously.”

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