Alchemist shut down indefinitely over racism allegations

Alchemist has been accused of having separate queues for Black patrons and the others of Caucasian and Asian descent

• A video clip shared online purported to show the bar’s bouncers sending a Black patron 

• The management says investigations will be conducted by the county Government.

bar and restaurant
The Alchemist bar and restaurant
Image: Alchemist254

The Alchemist will shut down indefinitely to allow for investigations into racism claims.

In a statement shared online, the management says investigations will be conducted by the County Government.

A video clip shared online purported to show the bar’s bouncers sending a black patron out of the queue which appeared to only have non-Blacks.

"The Alchemist has agreed to close its doors while a thorough investigation is conducted over the next few days to identify the following."

The video emerged on May 29th and Kenyans protested the treatment of black clubgoers saying Whites and Indian were given preferential treatment to enter the club.

In the video, we hear  a person shout,

"This is racist, I swear!... So there’s a White people line and a Black people line?” The individual behind the video can be heard protesting. We also see a bouncer. 

“They might let him through because he has an accent,” he adds after which the bouncer is seen shouting at the patron, ‘Just go!’

"They have actually sent him back!" another patron exclaims.

On Twitter, the individual also wrote,

@murgormurgor....How will we ever beat racism if we are racist against our own selves. Last week when I went to Alchemist there was a line for white and Indian people separate from the blacks’. One black guy tried using the line akachujwa immediately. This is sad really."

After online protests, Alchemist issued an apology late Sunday,

The Alchemist apologized for the incident, saying, "To anyone that has felt aggrieved, we sincerely apologize and we look forward to sitting down together and addressing these issues head-on."

"Since we opened our doors, The Alchemist has always been a home to welcome creators, partners, musicians, and customers from all different backgrounds," the statement further read.

They also tweeted,

 “We have reviewed footage from the alleged incident and we’re sharing it for everyone to see. There is only one entrance line for people to come in from."

They also assured patrons that they would update security & procedures.

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