Veteran selling poppies barred from pub

A London pub manager has made a donation of £40 to the Royal British Legion after his bar staff kicked out a disabled veteran trying to sell poppies.

Veteran Patrick Tobin was barred from a London pub for selling poppies.

Patrick Tobin, 76, said he “felt like a dog” and was left “humiliated” after he was ejected from the Garden Bar and Grill in West Kensington, as reported by the Daily Mail. 

The 76-year-old veteran, who fought in Northern Ireland, said: “I was going into the garden, he barred my way. He didn’t want me to go out there. He boxed me off and wouldn’t let me go down. I’m disgusted about it.”

Mr Tobin has been selling poppies in the area for decades without difficulty and said his was “absolutely gobsmacked” by the reaction of staff.

Outraged members of the public have since taken to Facebook to vent their disgust at the incident.

Writing on the pub’s Facebook page Stewart Williams said: “Disgraceful, you should apologise to the poppy seller and stand him a slap up meal!”

Another wrote: “Stay away from this place, I am ex-military and it a bloody disgrace what this place did. I hope they go bust. We did not fight for this.”

The pub’s manager has since apologised for the incident, blaming a staff member’s poor English, and donated £40 to the Royal British Legion.

Bardi Berisha, the bar’s manager, said: “To be clear the Garden bar has always proudly supported the poppy appeal every year and this year in no different. If Mr Poppy man would like to return, I will personally buy all his poppies.”