Manchester nightclub Cruz 101 has launched an investigation after a member of its staff shared a racist meme about Mason Greenwood.
The Princess Street gay nightclub stressed in a statement that it ‘does not condone any form of racism’.
In a now-deleted post, the person in question shared a meme comparing Manchester United’s Greenwood to George Floyd, alongside a caption that read: “Monkey see, monkey do.”
Greenwood, 20, was arrested on suspicion of rape and assault on Sunday and has since been released on bail.
After screenshots were shared on Twitter, the post has been labelled ‘abhorrent’ and ‘disgraceful’.
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Cruz 101 in Manchester’s Gay Village / Credit: Google Maps
One person said: “Bigotry has no place in our community, and all Black and non-Black POC should feel safe in LGBTQ+ venues.”
The staff member behind the post has now shared an apology, writing: “Last night, I posted an image that has caused serious offence to some of you on Instagram. For this I humbly apologise.
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“I was upset at the events covering this person – memories of what happened to me many years ago came flooding back – and I posted the image without any thought about what it could mean to some people.
“To those I replied to after the posting this I also apologise as I saw red and, as is my usual want, fired back without thought of how I’d offended you too.
“I now completely understand the meme I posted was racist. This wasn’t how I saw it at the time but having read people’s comments I now understand the offensiveness of what I posted.
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“I can only apologise for this, it’s a mistake I never thought I would make. I realise now how badly I’ve hurt some people and I fully regret it. There is no excuse, but I do not have a racist bone in my body and this would never have been posted if I wasn’t in such a state.
“I hope you will accept my humble apology and I will, in future count to ten before posting in response to something that had brought painful memories.”
The racist meme about Mason Greenwood has since be deleted / Credit: Manchester United
Cruz 101 wrote last night: “We are aware of the situation that is currently circulating on social media. Cruz 101 does not condone any form of racism, we are looking into this immediately and will provide a further update as soon as possible.”
They later added: “Further to our earlier statement we reiterate that we do not condone racist language or behaviour, and can confirm our investigation is continuing with assistance from our external HR consultants.
“A member of staff has been suspended to assist with the investigation and no further comment will be made during this process. Whilst we appreciate everyone’s frustration there is a process we must follow.”
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Since the comments were shared on Instagram, well-known drag artist and Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Danny Beard, who is due to perform at Cruz 101 this weekend, has posted their own statement on Twitter.
They wrote: “I have personally challenged and tried to open up conversations with said person (as did many others) only for them to try and gaslight. And spin an alternative narrative.
(1/2) Further to our earlier statement we reiterate that we do not condone racist language or behaviour, and can confirm our investigation is continuing with assistance from our external HR consultants.
“I’ve spoken with Cruz 101 with regards to the posts as the matter couldn’t be delt with via the individual involved. And like all of you. I’m now waiting on a response from the venue on what will happen moving forwards.
“I’m hoping that we’ll see some positive action coming from this.
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“And more importantly some acceptance and understanding that what was posted was wrong. Racist. And unwelcome in our safe spaces.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Divina de Campo wrote: “The investigation for this would take all of 5 minutes. Has he written racist stuff on line? Yep. Is it damaging the business? Yep. Gross misconduct thanks ta-ra. Tada!”
Featured Image – Google Maps
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Poundland facing ‘significant store closures’ after being sold for just £1
Danny Jones
Long-standing British bargain brand Poundland could be set to close a number of locations across the UK after being sold for just £1.
The franchise famed for selling things for just a quid has been a mainstay on the high streets for what feels like it’s been around for as long as most of us can remember, but has been struggling to compete in the discount market.
Opened in 1990, Poundland was eventually bought by Polish variety store chain Pepco Group back in 2016, but has now been auctioned off after struggling sales over the past few years.
As per a press release from the company, Pepco decided to sell the business to American investment firm Gordon Brothers for what reports cited as a “nominal fee” – a figure now revealed to be £1.
Credit: The Manc Group
Poundland’s former boss, Barry Williams, left the brand in 2023 but was reinstated in at the start of this year to help the business and the Group’s European counterparts (Pepco and Dealz).
Sharing an official update with The Manc, the returning MD and CEO said, “Poundland is a UK and Ireland retailer of real significance, serving 20 million customers each year with a much-loved brand.
“Although recent trading has been challenging, we have built a turnaround plan with a simplified and more focused Poundland at its heart, as we aim to deliver the amazing value our customers expect.
“In due course, we’ll share more details of the proposed restructuring and turnaround. I’d like to thank Pepco for its stewardship of the business. We welcome Gordon Brothers and look forward to working with them as we implement our turnaround plan.”
As for Gordon Bros themselves, the American group with outposts all over the globe, says it is “delighted” to be providing the bargain brand with “the financing to support the substantial turnaround of this iconic retailer.”
Even with their own hardships, Poundland stores have still been providing a much-needed cut-price place to shop for those looking to save wherever they can amid the cost of living crisis, not to mention taking over previous Wilko stores and helping bail out others in need.
Before Poundland were sold, they also helped prop-up those hit by the Wilkos falling into administration.
According to Retail Gazette, an approximate £80 million cash injection has been pledged to help support their 800 stores and roughly 16,000 staff across the UK and Ireland.
Nevertheless, BBC sources understand that the even with the new backing, the proposed restructuring of the company which will be put before the High Court here in England could still “involve a significant number of store closures.”
Meanwhile, an official statement from Pepco’s Stephan Borchert reads: “The agreed sale of Poundland marks an important milestone in our strategic plan to move away from FMCG and focus predominantly on Pepco, our higher margin clothing and general merchandise business…
“Poundland remains a key player in UK discount retail, with millions of customers annually and a well-loved brand and proposition. We want to sincerely thank Poundland for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the Group and wish Barry Williams and his team all the best for the future.”
Featured Images — Pepco (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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Ryanair introduces immediate £500 fines for ‘unruly’ passengers
Emily Sergeant
Ryanair is majorly clamping-down on passenger conduct by introducing a new immediate fining system.
In a bid to get onboard conduct to an acceptable level, Europe’s largest budget airline has today confirmed (12 June) that it has introduced a £500 fine for disruptive passengers whose unruly behaviour results in them being offloaded from the aircraft.
The airline – which prides itself on being one of the most ‘punctual’ in the continent – says passengers expect to travel in a ‘comfortable and stress-free environment’ that’s free from ‘unnecessary disruption’ caused by a tiny number of people travelling onboard the aircraft at the same time as them.
Ryanair has introduced immediate £500 fines for ‘unruly’ passengers / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While it’s no secret that passenger disruption is a problem that’s increasingly affecting the airline industry as a whole, Ryanair says it’s ‘committed’ to tackling unruly behaviour for the benefit of its passengers and crew.
The company intends to continue to pursue disruptive passengers for civil damages, but at a minimum, they will now be issued with a £500 fine immediately.
“It is unacceptable that passengers are made suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger’s behaviour,” a Ryanair spokesperson commented as the fines were announced today.
The airline says it’s committed to tackling this for the benefit of its passengers and crew / Credit: Pxhere
“To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.
“While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd February 2022 
