Edinburgh students are using Edi_Anonymous to report stories of being ‘spiked by injection’

TW: Spiking and sexual assault.

There have been several reports of students being spiked via injection in Edinburgh nightclubs, as reported on the Edi_anonymous instagram account.

At least 10 female Edinburgh students have claimed to have been spiked via injection, coming forward on social media to report their experiences.

This includes one reported incident at The Liquid Rooms club on Saturday the 9th when one student claimed that she felt “extremely unwell” and “noticed a small puncture wound on her lower back” the morning after. The incident has prompted several more students to come forward claiming they too have been spiked by injection – both at the same club night in Liquid Rooms and at other clubs in Edi.

The Instagram account reporting these events, Edi_anonymous aims to give survivors of sexual violence and harassment space to share their stories. They have called on Edinburgh nightclubs to introduce stricter searches on the door to prevent such attacks.

The Liquid Room, when asked for comment, pointed The Tab in the direction of their public instagram statement on the matter: “We wanted to jump on here and give you all a statement regarding the alleged incident that is circulating around on social media.  The Liquid Room has not been notified or contact directly of this alleged incident or any similar incidents by Police Scotland or any individuals involved.

“We have reached out via social media surrounding this allegation and are awaiting a response.

“Any allegation of any crimes committed in the Liquid room is taken VERY seriously and if any customers report directly to us, we will investigate throughout or we will gladly assist Police Scotland if called upon.

“Customer safety is our top priority we urge anyone who feels they may have been victim of a crime in the Liquid Room to please contact us directly or Police Scotland. The Liquid Room carry out bag searches and random body searches to ensure and maintain our customer safety on all events.

“We want to keep all you safe and make sure you don’t have a tainted experience of any event you choose to attend. Everyone deserves to attend any event without any fear or worry. We hope this clears up any concerns you may have and gives you all reassurance.”

There have been several other similar incidents in the UK in recent weeks, notably in Liverpool. However these are seemingly the first reports of this in Edinburgh.

As well as the risks associated with spiking through ingestion, spiking via injection carries added risks – including those associated with shared and unclean needles – such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. 

Since the incident, a petition has been circulating social media urging the Government to make it a legal requirement for nightclubs to search guests more thoroughly on entry than usual. You can sign the petition here.

Anyone who has fallen victim to spiking by injection should call NHS 111 and visit a hospital, GP, or health clinic as soon as possible. 

The Edinburgh Tab spoke to EdiAnon about their claims of spiking by injection. They told us they were concerned for the heath and wellbeing of victims following the incidents and that they hoped “victims (would) be treated with empathy, understanding and patience”. 

They added: “We believe that the nightclubs and bars have a duty of care to their patrons and should be doing everything in their power to prevent these crimes from being committed, and to be responsive when they do occur.”

In light of this, EdiAnon have called on venues to produce and promote a clear no-tolerance policy of sexual and spiking crimes

This includes: bag checks, body searches and improved security on entry; background checks for all bar staff, and zero tolerance policies for misconduct by staff; for venues to provide information about how to recognise spiking, how to help victims, and who to contact, as well as for venues to report all sexual harassment, sexual assault, and spiking allegations to the police (while respecting any victim requests to remain anonymous). 

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, please head to Drinkaware for more information on drink spiking. You can call Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111 or find help via their website. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share with us, get in touch in confidence by emailing dannyshaw@thetab.com

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