Reportedly hate-crime has recently gripped Britain by storm post-Brexit. There has been systematic rise in terror against minorities living in a country that was famed as hospitable and thrived with its multicultural underlay. With a recent transition in government, things seem all the more uncertain for the U.K.’s future as a tolerant society. This time the victim has been Nadia Jamil, unarguably one of Pakistan’s most treasured gems and venerated artist. She has been living in Cambridge, U.K. for a while now and has come forward claiming that she and her father were both victims of racism.
Nadia took to Twitter to accuse a local eatery, ‘Don Pascual’ of refusing to serve them:
1st racist encounter in England. #DonPascual Italian restaurant in Main Market Square refused 2 serve Aba & me & asked us 2 leave!His beard!
— Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) August 21, 2017
The restaurant, ‘Don Pasquale’ purportedly disapproved of Nadia’s father who sported a beard, and told them to leave while ‘screaming’ at them:
Users responded to the tweet, with some asking what exactly her father’s beard looked like.
It's a teeny beard. They found our appearance annoying. He said is it my beard. Although it the cutest beard on Earth :)! pic.twitter.com/i9kiEsMHv0
— Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) August 21, 2017
The Italian restaurant, established in 1973 responded to her claim
‘@thedonpasquale,’ stated that they ‘did not refuse service,’ to which the actress hastily replied that they ‘snatched the menus’ from them and ‘told [them] to leave scream[ing].’
You refused to give us a menu 🙁 then you refused to serve us. Finally u snatched the menus out of our hands and told us to leave screamed.
— Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) August 21, 2017
She seemed to be very upset at the whole situation:
It's horrible. First time it's ever happened to me. Vo bhi with Aba!
— Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) August 21, 2017
The restaurant took to their own account to project their side of what exactly unfolded when the actress visited with her father
They asserted that the delay in giving both guests menus was not ‘intentional’ and that it was their inefficiency in proper time delegation that supposedly angered the actress who ‘began raising her voice.’
There are two sides to every story. pic.twitter.com/RV5to4iYOc
— Pasquale Benedetto (@thedonpasquale) August 21, 2017
A verbal altercation allegedly ensued within the restaurant, after which the two guests were asked to ‘leave the premises’
The Metropolitan police were eventually involved to dilute the entire situation.
This is a TRUE depiction of the event from earlier today pic.twitter.com/lYcFEM4fhS
— Pasquale Benedetto (@thedonpasquale) August 21, 2017
Many responded in retaliation to the unfair treatment, with the restaurant responding to all claims online hurled their way
If it was true indeed. This is not what happened. We have never been racists in the 40yrs here. @NJLahori was not truthful with her words
— Pasquale Benedetto (@thedonpasquale) August 21, 2017
Don't believe all you read on Twitter. We did not refuse service @NJLahori. We welcome all
— Pasquale Benedetto (@thedonpasquale) August 21, 2017
A few previous guests at Don Pasquale responded to the incident, relaying that Nadia’s claims might be false
I've been to this place and been treated well, there are two sides to every story, and it's unfair to accuse without evidence
— Yasser Hussain (@yasserthoughts) August 21, 2017
With some stating that ‘non-white’ guests had visited previously and hadn’t faced any problems
Neither I nor any non-white people I know have eaten there have ever has issues with the service.https://t.co/kjQ0tKBaQF
Ends/
— Julian Hazeldine (@julianhazeldine) August 22, 2017
What do you think of the entire incident?