Sikh man alleges racism after being removed from a queue at Wimbledon

Wimbledon officials said that he was making other people "uncomfortable".
 By 
Sonam Joshi
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

A Sikh man was removed from an overnight queue to watch the Wimbledon because he made people around him "uncomfortable". The unnamed tennis lover then took to Facebook to speak out against the incident, which he described as "post-Brexit racism".

In his Facebook-post, the man wrote that he was "kicked out of the overnight camping line for centre court Wimbledon line 'because you make some people around you uncomfortable, so we're gonna have to report you and ask you to leave immediately, sir'".

He was eventually allowed to re-enter the ground after getting into the queue again after a few hours. He also made an official complaint. "All I wanted was to peacefully chill and patiently await an opportunity to re-enter the hallowed grounds and see the decorated surface while Roger and Milos scamper and glide across it," he wrote.


You May Also Like

A Wimbledon spokesperson confirmed the incident. "We do acknowledge, however, that in this instance the event safety staff could have provided a better explanation to him," the spokesperson said.

There has been a wave of reported racist incidents across the UK following the Brexit referendum. Police reports of hate crime have gone up by more than 42% from June 16-30. One initiative tried to combat post-Brexit racism by wearing a safety pin to show solidarity with immigrants living in the UK.

In February, Indian-American actor and designer Waris Ahluwalia was barred from boarding an Aeromexico flight in Mexico because he refused to remove his turban In the same month, Sikh YouTube star JusReign was asked to remove his turban during a security check at San Francisco airport.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.


Mashable Image
Sonam Joshi

Sonam Joshi was Mashable's principal correspondent in India. She has previously worked for The Times of India group and Time Out Delhi, and written for The Caravan, Mint Lounge and Yahoo Originals.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Meta can read your WhatsApp messages, lawsuit alleges
whatsapp logo

Google responds to claim that it stole NPR host's voice
google logo on smartphone

Victim of Jeffrey Epstein files class-action lawsuit against Google
By Jack Dawes
Laws regarding cyber crimes - stock photo

Trump admin has viral DOGE videos taken down. They're already back up.
Elon Musk wearing a DOGE cap

Men are paying to have negative posts removed from Tea app
A phone with the Tea app logo displayed on screen.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!