‘This is discrimination and illegal’: Woman booted from bar as staff deemed her a ‘fire risk’

A teenage wheelchair user says a bar kicked her out simply because staff deemed her a “fire risk,” prompting outrage online and renewed scrutiny over disability-access laws in the United Kingdom.

In a viral TikTok, creator Maddie (@maddieiswheelycool) described being removed from a bar in Manchester, England, despite repeatedly telling staff that ejecting her because of her wheelchair was unlawful. “So I’m being kicked out of a bar for being in a wheelchair,” Maddie said in the video, according to the clip posted to her account.

She said the manager told her, “If we get fine then I send the fine straight to you.”

Maddie responded: “You do that.” “I’ve showed the law,” she said. “I said, ‘You can’t remove me because I’m in a wheelchair.’ … They’re saying that they still have to remove me and I can’t stay here.”

Maddie, who said she is 17, later described the encounter as degrading and claimed a staff member approached her while she was speaking and behaved rudely before refusing to continue the conversation.

Maddlie lives with CRPS

Maddie has said she lives with complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, a chronic pain disorder that can affect mobility and sometimes requires wheelchair use. CRPS can cause severe pain, swelling, and heightened sensitivity in affected limbs, according to the National Health Service and other medical authorities.

Online commenters quickly rallied behind her. One response read,

That’s insane!! i’ve been in the club before once in my chair and bars a lot of times it’s completely illegal for them to kick you out because of your disability! if you need any help writing a complaint let me know!! hope ur okay!!!💗💗”

via katie ⭐️, TikTok

Under the U.K.’s Equality Act 2010, businesses that provide goods or services to the public — including pubs, bars, and nightclubs — generally cannot discriminate against disabled people by denying service or access because of disability. The law also requires service providers to make “reasonable adjustments” to accommodate disabled patrons.

Legal experts and disability advocates often note that generic safety concerns are not typically sufficient justification for excluding wheelchair users absent a specific, lawful reason.

In the United States, similar protections arise under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which bars disability discrimination in places of public accommodation such as bars and restaurants. Both countries broadly prohibit businesses from excluding patrons solely because they use wheelchairs.

The bar is investigating the matter

The Manchester venue involved has reportedly opened an internal investigation into the matter, according to local reporting. A spokesperson for the business has not publicly commented in detail on the allegations.

Disability advocates have long argued that exclusionary treatment in nightlife settings remains a recurring issue despite legal protections, particularly when venues cite evacuation plans or crowd-control concerns to justify restricting wheelchair users.