Two Ontario women claim they were kicked out of a Michael Bublé concert this week for clapping and singing along.
Lillian Roque and her sister Graciamaria Roque took to Facebook to complain about being escorted out of Budweiser Gardens in London, Ont. by an unidentified security guard and paid-duty police officer John Chidley.
“I am mortified and humiliated beyond words,” Lillian, 38, wrote.
“As soon as we got to our seats, the people right beside us proceeded to tell us to be quiet, that they did not want to hear our conversation.”
During the show, when Bublé asked if there were any Latinos in the crowd, the two women cheered and clapped.
“Moments after that, we were asked to leave the premise on the basis of disruptive behaviour.”
Video footage the women shot while being removed from the venue show both the security guard and Chidley acting calmly as one of the women argues and curses at them. At one point she insults the security guard (“you are nobody”) and falsely accuses the officer of “sexual harassment.”
In her Facebook post, Lillian called the incident a “horrible and traumatic experience” and said she wants a full refund for the tickets and an apology from Budweiser Gardens.
“I have never experienced this type of harassment and abuse ever,” she wrote.
Graciamaria’s husband John Teat believes racism was a factor. "Strange thing everyone else was singing along but only the two Latin ladies were ejected,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Security refused to give a clear reason and police said they didn't need a reason to kick them out. I say b.s. and racism apply here.”
A spokesperson for Budweiser Gardens said he could not comment on any incident involving concert-goers.