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UK: O2 Arena denies man entry to Peter Kay show for wearing Free Gaza t-shirt

The arena, which holds up to 20,000 people, has since apologised and called the decision a mistake
London's O2 Arena (O2)
London's O2 Arena (O2)

The London O2 Arena has apologised after denying a man entry to a show for wearing a "Free Gaza" t-shirt.

The O2 can hold up to 20,000 people and has the third-highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in Britain.

A video has recently gone viral of security stopping a fan and his partner at the arena's entrance at a stand-up comedy show last Saturday, telling him he would need to "get another t-shirt".

The footage shows the man asking staff whether he could turn the shirt inside out - to which staff said no.

"This is crazy," his partner said. "He can't even turn it inside out and wear it backwards?"

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Video footage shows venue staff telling the couple that the O2 is "not a political venue".

The performer was Peter Kay, an English stand-up comedian and actor who has not publicly commented on Israel's war on Gaza.

According to the Daily Mail, O2 bosses have admitted that "entry should have been granted" to the couple, saying that security "made a judgement call and got it wrong" and apologising "for any offense and upset".

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