East London bar apologises for 'insensitive' tweets about stab victim
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Version 0 of 1. An east London bar that tweeted a picture of a blood-stained floor after a man who had been stabbed staggered inside has apologised for “insensitive” comments. The Bonneville, which bills itself as “Hackney's latest and greatest bar and restaurant”, lamented the interruption during a launch party on Saturday. A tweet with a picture of blood on the floor had the caption: “#CSI Clapton Due to events on Lower Clapton Road this evening, we will unfortunately have to close #WelcomeToHackney” In response to a message from the nearby Dreyfus Cafe, anther tweet said: “Some kid got stabbed over the road and decided to run into ours. Great look for our first week.” The posts were removed but not before they were spread by hundreds of people on Twitter, who slammed the apparent lack of concern for the stab victim. On Sunday, a long apology was sent from the account, calling the tweets “very insensitive”. It claimed staff called emergency services and tried to help the injured man. “Once again, we are extremely sorry for any comments that caused offence,” it continued. “It was a very frightening experience for all involved and bad judgement was used in the comment.” After last nights events, we would like to apologise profusely for the comments on twitter, which were of course very insensitive and have A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the man, in his 20s, was stabbed in the back in nearby Urswick Road. He was given first aid by officers in the bar before being taken to hospital, where he is in a serious but stable condition. No arrests have been made. Ruairi Gilles, who co-owns The Bonneville with his brother Mark Gilles, told London24 the man sending the tweets was not a permanent member of staff. “We like the area and we’re not just trying to cash in on it,” he said. “We’re really sorry about the tweet, we wish we could take it back but we can’t.” Lower Clapton Road is part of London’s infamous “Murder Mile”, which became notorious for shootings and stabbings in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The area has seen rapid gentrification in recent years and Saturday’s incident reignited the debate on the issue. It all got a bit heated on Twitter... @BonnevilleE5 not impressed by your callous tweet on the poor boy who was stabbed. Shame on you. Locals please do not support this place @BonnevilleE5 that photo is completely unnecessary and incredibly disrespectful. Sort out your priorities, that's someone's kid. I'm not even sure what's worse @BonnevilleE5 - the shocking initial tweets or that piss poor excuse for an "apology" @BonnevilleE5 Poor guys! You should put up a sign that says something like "No stab victims/riff raff/poor people". Works for me every time! You all should be condemning the attackers and addressing the real problems instead of wasting everyone's time talking about @BonnevilleE5 |