A mum has described the moment she and her disabled son were asked to leave a Pink concert..
A mum has described the moment she and her disabled son were asked to leave a Pink concert..
A mother who spent more than £600 ($1244) on tickets for her and her 7-year-old Down syndrome son to see Pink in concern is furious after he was kicked out by 10 security guards and made to feel like a criminal.
Vanessa Vasey took her son Jesse to see his favourite singer at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the weekend.
Jesse, who has Down syndrome and developmental, sensory and neurodivergent needs - struggled to stay seated. In preparation for that she brought her friend Kirsty to stand near the seating area to watch over her son while he got up and danced.
But moments before Pink appeared onstage, the 48-year-old mum said they were confronted by 10 security guards and given an ultimatum, “sit down or they must leave”.
Vasey tried to explain the situation to the security guards, telling them her son needed to stand as he couldn’t sit down for the whole concert. But they were instead made to feel “like criminals” and “escorted from the premises”.
Vasey hit out at the security guards on social media, saying her son was “robbed” of the chance to see his favourite musician.
Vanessa Vasey posted publicly that her son was "robbed" of the chance to see his favourite artist after he was kicked out of the concert for not sitting down.
“Yesterday my little Jesse was robbed of his chance to see his idol P!nk at Tottenham Hotspur stadium simply because he has special needs and didn’t fit into the requirements for his seating...
“Music is his life and P!nk is one of his absolute favourites... We couldn’t get him to sit in his seat, but he was happy dancing and singing at the front railings, and even interacting with some of the other guests. Doing no harm to anyone, or obstructing anyone’s view. This seemed OK for about half an hour or so.
“Then…..just as Pink dropped from the sky in her opening number we had 6 security guards come into the zone and asked us to leave or sit in our seats. We explained the situation and they were abrupt, intimidating and unpleasant whilst escorting us out of the zone.
“They tried to force us to take Jesse to a sensory room which was sound proof, and watch Pink on a screen!!! Something we could do at home, robbing us all of the whole experience, as if my son was some sort of inconvenience, and better off shut in a room out of sight.
“I explained that the guard was aware of us and had said it was OK, but they were having none of it.
“By the time we were left with no choice but to leave, we were surrounded by about 10 guards and staff, and I had a very upset and overwhelmed little boy. We were escorted out of the building like criminals and saw no more of the Pink show.
“Jesse was utterly devastated, and they showed absolutely zero care or understanding. The whole trip took a great deal of planning and cost close to £1000, all to walk away with a brokenhearted little boy.”
A mum has described the moment she and her disabled son were asked to leave a Pink concert..
A spokesperson for Tottenham Hotspur Stadium told Mirror Online they’ve since been in touch with Vasey over the incident.
According to the email they sent Vasey, the spokesperson said they’re “extremely sorry to hear that Jesse’s experience was not a positive one”.
They said a full investigation would be carried out to look at what happened.
The spokesperson then defended staff’s actions, explaining the reason Jesse wasn’t allowed to stand.
“To provide some context, guests are not permitted to stand in stairways or access ways as this can pose a legitimate safety risk for them and those around them. The safety and security of all event attendees remains our utmost priority, and for this reason guests in seated areas are always asked to remain in their seats.
“A secondary problem which may be caused by standing in stairways is that it may obstruct others’ views. On this particular evening, we did receive complaints from other guests that your party’s position on the stairway was obstructing their view, and it is for this reason, and the safety reasons outlined above, that the stewarding teams requested that you return to your seats.”
P!nk performs as part of her Summer Carnival Tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 15, 2024 in London, England.
In a further statement, the stadium said their investigation confirmed Vasey was offered assistance by their Safeguarding and Welfare and that the family were asked if they’d like to use their dedicated Sensory Room. According to the spokesperson, this was declined by Vasey after the incident and she chose to leave the event.
Following the incident and Vasey’s frustration, she went on to explain the impact the incident had on Jesse.
“Why do we take them? Because, as parents, we have the same dreams and aspirations for our children as any other parent,” she wrote.
“We have the same desires to see our children’s faces light up, as any other parent would. Our children are exposed to the same world as other children, and they enjoy the same things.
“They have the same likes and desires. The only thing that’s different is their needs, their abilities and their way of accessing their dreams.
