Rabat – Manko, a restaurant in Paris, has received criticism and racism allegations after refusing entry to three women of African descent on the grounds of not wearing “evening” clothes.
One of the women documented the incident in a video footage, accusing the restaurant of racism after the security guard prohibited them from entering despite a reservation. The footage shows the young women wearing makeup and dressed up in heels and fancy clothes.
Meanwhile, the same video featured white people entering the restaurant without being subject to strict control of their clothing. “Every white person could get in no matter what they were wearing,” said the video caption.
“It exists for real,” one of the young women is heard saying in the video, adding that it is her “first experience with racism.” The video further shows a black couple, equally well-dressed, being denied entry to the restaurant under the same pretext.
The video has been widely circulated across the internet, with social media users in France and across the world, including celebrities, condemning the restaurant’s actions and describing them as “racist.”
According to local media, Paris’s Prosecutor Office has opened an investigation into the incident.
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David Guiraud, a member of the left-wing political party France Insoumise (France Unbowed), said on Twitter that he had written a letter alerting the Defender of Rights – an independent administrative authority of the French government – to the incident.
Manko came forward with a statement apologizing to the three women. “Following the incident that occurred on Saturday evening in Paris, Manko apologizes. Manko respects a charter of values that promote equality, respect, tolerance and benevolence for all,” said the restaurant.
“Like everyone else, we are shocked by what happened, this is something that should not be taking place. It goes against our values,” a Manko spokesperson told Le Monde news outlet, adding that the incident was an “isolated act.”
According to Le Monde, the company in charge of security at the restaurant dismissed the security guard in question, saying that he had “made an error in judgment.”
