‘We let Nigel Farage visit our bar – now we are being called Nazis’

A popular Newcastle bar say they are shocked their staff have been horrifically abused online after Nigel Farage visited their venue.

Hibou Blanc in Newcastle’s city centre was swarmed with protesters last Friday after the Reform UK leader went to a lunchtime event there.

Activists shouted ‘shame on you’ and threw things at the restaurant, forcing the swanky venue to close its shutters.

The bar’s partner Stevie Pattinson, 56, has said the attacks have not stopped there, saying his young staff have been called ‘Nazis’ just for working there.

He told Metro: ‘The abuse against our staff has been the worst thing.

‘These young kids are trying to earn a living. They do not deserve this. They are just doing their job.

‘The level of vitriol has been a surprise. We are just a neutral space, we are not politically aligned.’

Pattinson said Hibou Blanc, which has 4.4 star rating on TripAdvisor, was contacted by a local Reform politician who asked to hold a fundraiser there with Mr Farage in attendance.

The bar’s partner, who is not a Reform supporter, said he was shocked at the backlash they received when they hosted the event.

‘We did not realise how problematic it would be,’ he added.

‘Farage is the leader of one of the major political parties, which is ahead in all the polls.

‘We are not in the business of cancelling people. We are in the business of looking after people.’

Mr Farage arrived in Newcastle after campaigning in Manchester ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Protesters were already outside the venue’s Bigg Market entrance when the Reform UK leader arrived, brandishing signs such as ‘far right swine out the Tyne’.

They began throwing things at the speciality-seafood restaurant, forcing staff to close the shutters.

Pattinson said there were also supporters of Mr Farage outside Hibou Blanc, and that the ‘unpleasantness’ was not audible inside the bar.

What has hurt the bar’s partner and his staff more is the abuse they’ve faced online since.

Pattinson says venues should not be targeted for serving political leaders at a time when it is ‘harder than ever’ for hospitality spacees to ‘make a living’.

He added: ‘There are certain people we would not want in like Andrew Tate.

‘But Nigel Farage is not an extremist. The guy has got to eat somewhere. We haven’t done anything wrong.

‘Anyone is welcome here, including Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch.’

Reacting to the abuse faced by Hibou Blanc staff, Nigel Farage told Metro it showed the ‘real-world consequences of dangerous rhetoric’.

He added: ‘It’s ghastly that a business is being targeted in this way. This level of hate must be stopped and these abusive protestors should not have been allowed to wear masks in the first place.’

Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, told Metro: ‘Venues should not be targeted for giving a platform to members of lawful political parties, groups or organisations.

‘If the protestors disagree with what Nigel Farage has to say, the proper response is to ask him questions and engage him in argument, not try to silence him by punishing any venue that hosts him.

‘In a democratic society, the way to win arguments in the public square is through discussion and debate, not bullying and intimidation.’

Despite the backlash, Pattinson said he did not want to ‘point the finger’ at protesters, explaining that ‘everyone has got a right to say what they want.’

This is not the first time Mr Farage has had a frosty reception in Newcastle.

The then-Brexit Party leader was hit by a milkshake when he was campaigning in the town in 2019.

He was drenched in a  £5.25 Five Guys banana and salted caramel milkshake.

Reform are expected to make substantial gains in the North East in the local elections in May and hold an eight-point poll lead over rival parties, according to IPSOS.

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