"We argued with him there for about a minute before he said 'OK go on', it was like he was convinced we weren't gipsy so we could go on.
"I know this kind a camper van is slightly unusual, but it is not exclusively used by the travelling community."
After parking the van, he went to remonstrate with the guard who said they were not the only people he had stopped and questioned.
The guard, who was caught on tape, told him: "A lot of them are coming in similar cars. If you had said yes [to being a gipsy] I wouldn't have let you into the premises."
In the recording of the conversation, the attendant can be heard to say: "We are stopping them because they are coming in and taking things off our loyal customers, that is why I'm here in the car park."
Mr Massey added: "We were honestly gob smacked. Even if they have had problems with travellers using their electricity supply or parking there at night it doesn't justify the racial profiling of customers at the front door. "It is not acceptable, I'm disgusted."
The Gypsy Council said Ikea "should be ashamed of itself". A spokesman added: "God help anyone who they think looks like a Gypsy – lots of Gypsies don't walk around with big earrings."
But Garry Deakin, the Ikea store manager at Croydon, defended the practice.
He said: "Over recent months the travelling community in the Croydon area have been attempting to access the customer car park to set up their mobile homes.
"(It) not only has an impact on our customers' shopping experience, but also poses a health and safety risk due to the build up of human and animal waste.
"After discussions with both the local traveller liaison officer and Croydon Council, Ikea Croydon implemented preventative procedures to secure the car park, including a security officer to patrol the entry to the car park to prevent the mobile homes entering the car park."
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Ikea sends gypsies flat packing: Store tells camper van driver that travellers are banned from the car park - Daily Mail
- Swedish furniture giant accused of racial profiling
- Store boss claims groups have been attempting to set up camp on
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Shock: Camper van owner Luke Massey, 27, was astonished when an Ikea security guard challenged him as he and his family arrived at a store
Swedish furniture giant Ikea has begun screening shoppers who arrive at stores in camper vans or mobile homes in a bid to prevent gypsies from setting up home in their car parks.
Luke Massey, 27, was astonished when a security guard challenged him on a family outing to their Valley Park store, in Croydon, south London.
The guard, who was caught on tape, told him: 'If you had said yes [to being a gypsy] I wouldn’t have let you into the premises.'
Mr Massey visited the store with his girlfriend and her mother on Monday, June 4.
On entry to the car park the group, who were travelling in a small camper van, were flagged down by an Ikea parking attendant who asked whether they were gypsies.
Mr Massey, from Streatham, south London, said: 'We were just aghast and my partner said ‘What? Are you serious?’
'We argued with him there for about a minute before he said ‘ok go on’, it was like he was convinced we weren’t gypsy so we could go on.
'I know this kind a camper van is slightly unusual, but it is not exclusively used by the travelling community.'
After parking Mr Massey went to remonstrate with the attendant, who said they were not the only people he had stopped and questioned.
Not welcome: Mr Massey's small camper van. Ikea have begun employing security guards to prevent gypsies from entering their car parks
In a recording of the conversation, the attendant can be heard to say: 'A lot of them are coming in similar cars. If you had said yes [to being a gypsy] I wouldn’t have let you into the premises.
'We are stopping them because they are coming in and taking things of our loyal customers, that is why I’m here in the car park.'
Mr Massey said: 'We were honestly gob smacked. Even if they have had problems with travellers using their electricity supply or parking there at night it doesn’t justify the racial profiling of customers at the front door.
'It is not acceptable, I’m disgusted.'
Response: A spokesman for the store in Croydon, South London, said that in recent months travellers had been trying to set up camp in the car park
Garry Deakin, Ikea Croydon store manager said: 'Over recent months the travelling community in the Croydon area have been attempting to access the customer car park to set up their mobile homes, which not only has an impact on our customers’ shopping experience, but also poses a health and safety risk due to the build up of human and animal waste.
'After discussions with both the local traveller liaison officer and Croydon Council, Ikea Croydon implemented preventative procedures to secure the car park, including a security officer to patrol the entry to the car park to prevent the mobile homes entering the car park.'
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
SEND THEM PACKING!!!...
- paevo, USA, 13/6/2012 15:23
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