A thread posted on Cineworld’s Facebook page asking people to offer feedback on its Unlimited Screenings offer has been overtaken by claims that one of the cinema chain’s managers threw a boy with Down syndrome out of a screening for laughing too loudly.
The chain posted the thread on its Facebook page on Friday 22 March asking for feedback from customers, which many of them stuck to, however one claim that a manager in Birmingham asked the family to leave, promoted the thread to be overtaken with discussions over the treatment of the child.
The claim, which is at the time of writing was unsubstantiated, was made by Yvonne Blades on the Facebook thread, and read: “BIRMINGHAM CINEWORLD there are a lot of people going to find out how the manager asked a family to leave as their child with Down Syndrome laughed too loudly. . .this is serious discrimination and the staff involved need educating about the laws of inclusion. How dare this happen in this day and age . . . your head office is going to be inundated with calls about this incident and your local papers are also going to be informed . . . anyone reading this who are regular visitors please have the grace to spend your money somewhere else as this company have just been labelled unfair and unkind to a family that did not deserve this sort of treatment” (sic).
One response to the claim on the page, from Rosalind Perry, said: “I think it is disgusting the way a family with a downs syndrome child was treated at your broad street birmingham cinema your staff are an absolute disgrace and should have to make a public apology then actually spend time with children with downs they are special and embrace life and dont discriminate against others who are unfortunate to be ignorant !!!!!! (sic).”
No one from Cineworld has responded to the claim within the post itself, or the follow up comments, with the thread having now reached 109 responses.
A statement from a spokesperson for Cineworld in response to The Drum, read: "We were sorry to hear about Ema Louise Brown's experience at our Birmingham cinema on Saturday and we are currently investigating this. Our Customer Service team are liaising with the family and we hope to resolve this quickly."