Disabled Man Removed from Concert After Staff Mistake Medical Condition for Intoxication

A man with a disability reported being “unfairly removed” from a London music event, as venue personnel misidentified his medical condition as intoxication. Matthew Parrott, aged 48, from Oxford, traveled to London with his wife, Beth, on November 7 to see Glass Animals perform at The O2 Arena. He was unable to witness the main performance after being ejected following a fall. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme, he stated that the basis for assuming his intoxication was that he was “stumbling when he walked”. The O2 issued an apology and indicated it was re-evaluating its staff training protocols. Since 2007, Mr. Parrott has lived with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer that affects the immune system. A bone marrow transplant performed three years prior led to him developing graft-versus-host-disease, which manifests as neuropathy—nerve damage—in his feet, alongside other symptoms. “Sometimes, I walk in an awkward way. At the concert, I tripped and couldn’t regain my footing. It was an unfortunate accident,” he said.“It wasn’t a severe injury. I felt okay, so we just wanted to go back to our seats and enjoy the show. We refused to let the fall dampen our spirits.” After receiving attention from medical personnel at The O2, Mr. Parrott recounts being confronted by the venue’s security manager and several security guards. “They refused to let me back in. They said I was intoxicated, which I wasn’t.“I tried very much to explain that the fall wasn’t a result of drinking too much alcohol, and that it was because I have this medical condition. But we were escorted out and couldn’t see the show at all.“I had three beers over the course of four and a half hours. We were celebrating my wife’s birthday. She had the same amount, and no one was trying to throw her out.” An initial request for a refund for his tickets, priced at £157.70 for both, was turned down. “At the time, I offered to take a breathalyser test – but they refused,” Mr. Parrott stated. Staff members from The O2 have since contacted Mr. Parrott directly. He has been issued a complete refund for the Glass Animals performance, in addition to a pair of free tickets and drink vouchers for a future concert he selects. In an official statement, The O2 declared: “We were sorry to hear of this and our teams have been in touch with Mr Parrot [sic] directly and have reached a resolution on this case.” The venue asserted its pride in being “accessible and inclusive,” noting its recent recognition by the disability charity, Attitude is Everything. “In this instance, we would like to apologise to Mr Parrot [sic] for the error and emphasise that we are constantly reviewing our procedures and staff training measures to ensure that they’re up to date and fit for purpose.”We’re committed to building on the work done by our teams so far to ensure that everyone who visits The O2 has a best-in-class experience.” Matthew Parrott expressed his desire for more individuals to voice their concerns when they believe they have experienced injustice. “When you come up against The O2, you feel helpless. I think it’s easy to feel resigned to just accepting that these people can steal a special night from you.“I’m sure there are a lot of people who have similar stories to me, who haven’t had the opportunity to speak up and point out these injustices.”It’s unfair to be treated this way because you walk slightly differently to somebody else.” A representative for Attitude is Everything, a charity advocating for enhanced accessibility at music events, conveyed their “concern” upon hearing of Mr. Parrott’s ordeal. “We will be reaching out to the organisers to seek clarification about what has happened in this case.” “We welcome feedback on experiences of live events from disabled customers via our webpage and seek to work with organisers to identify barriers and secure lasting solutions when issues do occur.” BBC Oxfordshire can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Details concerning its approach to external linking are available.