The DSTRKT nightclub in London is facing celebrity boycotts following allegations of operating a door policy excluding people its agents deem “too dark, too fat”.

A protest against rallying against the club occurred after clubber Lin Mei, 29, revealed a series of text messages from a DSTRKT promoter who wrote about the “black crowd is the concern” and indicated only light skin Africans or those who were dual heritage would be allowed entry into the venue.

Whilst there is much support for the protests, Mei herself has been criticised for posting ignorant anti-African comments on Facebook writing; “I just want to say, in relation to the light skinned blue eye guy, this proves #teamlightskinned is love the most. I don't see a dark skinned guys generating that much interest ever! #teamlighty lol overall winner.” And later on the racist post: “Get back to the shade darkies before we don't even see you no mo at night”

Mei doesn’t deny making the ugly comments but asks that people focus on ‘the bigger pic(ture)’. Dstrkt management denies operating a racist policy based on westernised beauty ideals despite failing to admit Zalika Miller, 26, Reshia McFarlane-Tapping, 27, and Tasha Campbell, 28, to the club. It said “‘At no stage did any of the Dstrkt staff said to the women they were not to be allowed in on any of the basis of their skin colour or size. Comments made by external promoters to the women had nothing to do with Dstrkt and are not deemed acceptable.”

Lin Mei: Ignorant Facebook Posts

Standing Up

There has been much applause for some community artists for standing up on this issue by using their fame to highlight the injustice. Speaking to ITV Tinchy Stryder on the matter of nightclub discrimination he said;

“It's nothing new, but if it doesn't stop now it's never going to stop. What kind of policy is that because of someone's skin colour? When I heard, I was really hurt and definitely won't be going there. It happens in a lot of clubs and it's good people protest... it's wrong, it's really wrong.”

The stand up comedian Kojo supported protesters on his Twitter page writing “Current scenes outside #Dstrkt night club! Proud of the people letting their voices be heard. #EnoughIsEnough”

Tameka Empson, the Eastenders actress that plays Kim Fox in the BBC soap, refused to attend the club to collect her Inside Soap award whilst the artist Omarion ppulled out of scheduled appearance at the venue.

Bro Colin, a renown community worker from South London wrote “Will someone PLEASE give these young Africans medals?”

Toyin Agbetu director of the award winning film Beauty Is… said events like the excellent bi-annual Natural November and our film events and anti-skin bleaching campaign works to offer positive alternatives as well as directly challenge this kind of ‘beauty’ based discrimination that is fuelled by anti-African racism.

Sadly the model and aspiring actress Karrueche Tran refused to cancel her club night at the venue despite describing the door policy incident as “unfortunate”. Earlier this year in May 2015 a group of students were refused entry to the Ghost Nightclub in Leicester 'because they are black'. A recording of the conversation with the clubs security officer revealed the doorman telling clubber and university student Kosi Orah and friends that he was just following rules.