BrewDog has been accused of sacking an Asian woman after she expressed her sadness when members of the far-right English Defence League met in the London bar where she worked.
The former staffer said members of the EDL had gathered unchallenged at the ‘punk’ brewer’s flagship bar in Waterloo ahead of a gathering to mark St George’s Day on April 23.
Police arrested ten people at the event after groups of men attempted to break through barriers in a section of Whitehall, throwing glass bottles.
The former BrewDog staff member said she went to see her manager at a podcast studio in the bar after arriving at work and discovered suspected members of the EDL were drinking in the bar before the meeting.
BrewDog accused her of “aggressive behavior and use of inappropriate language” after she raised her concerns, according to documents seen by the Guardian.
“That was not the case at all,” Myriam – not her real name – told Tribune magazine, which first reported the story.
“All I said was, ‘I can’t fucking believe this. This is fucking unbelievable.’ I didn’t swear at my manager … When I read the accusation, it completely broke me. I was scared, upset, broken. I felt powerless. This is my job. I have to pay the bills. I had a breakdown.”
Myriam sent a message to her manager apologizing for the intensity of her emotions and asking him to empathize with “a brown woman in this situation,” adding that her family had suffered racist abuse from the EDL when she was growing up.
BrewDog said in a letter to Myriam that it acknowledged her “past trauma and emotional state” but that she had engaged in serious misconduct that warranted dismissal with notice.
Although the EDL had not made a reservation at the BrewDog bar, Myriam said they were “allowed to sit there and drink before their meeting, which always ends violently”.
BrewDog, based in Aberdeenshire, was said to have been informed by police a day earlier that EDL members were likely to gather in the Waterloo area and visit the bar. Police told the company not to close the location and assured officers would be present.
Myriam said staff were not informed of this and that the lack of advance warning was a factor in her reaction. Colleagues felt extremely uncomfortable about the EDL’s presence and one was in tears, she claimed.
One of the BrewDog staff who handled her disciplinary hearing appeared to be unaware of what the EDL entailed, she added.
after newsletter promotion
BrewDog, which has built a reputation as a ‘punk’ challenger to mainstream beer brands, has faced multiple allegations of poor treatment of staff.
In 2021, the company apologized to former employees who accused the company and its co-founder, James Watt, of fostering a “culture of fear” in which employees were bullied and “treated like objects.”
Watt has since resigned as CEO. He said he wants to focus on other activities, but he will remain a member of the board of directors.
BrewDog told Tribune: “The standards of behavior we expect from our colleagues are set out in our workplace code of conduct. In this case there was a clear and unacceptable violation of this code. We have followed all relevant processes and complied with our investigation and disciplinary policies, and we stand by our decision.”
The Guardian has reached out to the company separately for comment.