DSTRKT 'condemns any type of racism or discrimination'

Protests at DSTRKT club sparked discussions on social media, with many saying it's a wider issue

A London nightclub where it's claimed women were turned away for being "overweight" and too dark" is denying the allegations.

A protest was held outside DSTRKT after a group of women said two of them were not allowed in because of their race and appearance.

The management said: "DSTRKT restaurant and late night lounge has always operated an anti-racist door policy.

"It condemns any type of racism or discrimination by customer or staff.

"DSTRKT restaurant and club has launched a thorough investigation into this alleged event and found that at no stage did any of the DSTRKT staff said to the women they were not to be allowed in on any the basis of their skin colour or size."

Lin (right) with her friends Zalika, Reisha and Tasha. They claim they was told two of her group were not welcome

Protests followed a social media campaign created by the friends who say they were stopped from going into the club on Saturday night.

The club's statement added: "The night in question was a very busy night and the women who have made the complaint against the venue arrived without having made any prior reservation with the venue.

Reisha and Tasha claim they weren't allowed into the club

"All our tables were fully booked and we had a full general admission guest list and on that basis alone they were not granted entry.

"The only people who were allowed entry after the women arrived were allowed in because they had booked in advance."

Following the protests, others shared similar stories from different nightclubs across the UK.

One of the women involved, Zalika Miller, says she "couldn't believe the amount of support" they've had on social media.

Westminster Council has also responded to the claims.

In a statement it said: "We are concerned to hear allegations of racist behaviour at any nightclubs within Westminster.

"We have been advised that this could be dealt with by making a complaint under the Equality Act to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

"Alternatively, if there are allegations of criminal conduct these should be referred to the police.

"The police would then be able to investigate and if appropriate initiate a review of the premises license, which we would take very seriously."

The club has posted screengrabs, which it claims are from the girls' social media accounts, showing them inside the club several weeks ago

The club's management also said: "At least two of the women who made the complaint against DSTRKT, Lin Mei and Zalika Miller, have been allowed entry to our venue in the past as can been seen on Lin Mei's Instagram account @linmeitalks from 12 weeks ago which showed a picture of her enjoying herself at our venue with two other friends and the message stated '… And again #nightout #dstrkt'.

"It appears that this message has now been deleted from her account but this clearly shows that the only reason she was turned away on the night of the 26 September was that the club was fully booked due to its popularity. "

Newsbeat has spoken again to the women who do not deny they have been to the venue previously.

Listen to Newsbeat's nightclub door policy special

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