This happened at London’s BFI cinema and people were outraged

A man who went to the BFI cinema on London’s South Bank tweeted about what happened when a woman with Asperger’s was forcibly ejected from the auditorium.

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https://twitter.com/lloydshep/status/990678635639078912

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She’d been laughing very loudly but at moments which were supposed to be funny. Some people complained. She was dragged out shouting ‘I’m sorry I have Aspergers.’ She was incredibly upset.

— Lloyd Shepherd (@lloydshep) April 29, 2018

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Some people applauded her being removed! Others stood up and shouted how terrible it was. A large number of us left.

— Lloyd Shepherd (@lloydshep) April 29, 2018

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As far as I know the man who shouted ‘Shut the fuck up, bitch’ was not removed. Despite the abusive gendered language.

— Lloyd Shepherd (@lloydshep) April 29, 2018

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Am shaking with anger. That poor, poor woman. Just a little bit of empathy and everything would have been fine. Such naked intolerance. In the middle of London. Disgusting.

— Lloyd Shepherd (@lloydshep) April 29, 2018

He wasn’t the only one to comment online.

I’m actually shaking with anger. I’ve never witnessed anything like that in my life.

— Amie-Jo (@amiejolocke) April 29, 2018

I waa there too and found it sickening. A very unfortunate and uncomfortable situation. I would like to say that having returned later after calming down, I spoke to the manager and believe she was in a very difficult situation, still 100% not fair what happened to that lady.

— Rich (@Richlegate) April 29, 2018

I’m home and am still shaken. I need to know that lady is ok. Did they throw her out into the fucking night? Did she have her coat? Was she on her own?! Did anyone see her afterwards? She was visibly distressed – I can’t bear to think of her being alone. This is so, SO wrong.

— Amie-Jo (@amiejolocke) April 29, 2018

I was in the auditorium early. When the woman arrived (also early), she repeated loudly "Woo – I'm so excited!" An hour later, for the crime of laughing at bits that most would call mildly amusing, she got marched out in front of everyone with the house lights on. #BFI

— David Hardman (@DavidKHardman) April 29, 2018

Then members of her family joined in.

Hi, the woman is my sister. She's home and watching the rest of the movie. Thank you for sharing this, as old fans of the @bfi we're horrified that they would treat her so badly. Obviously she's still very upset. It's her favourite movie and it was her 25th birthday celebration.

— Sabrina Parker ✨♌️ (@SabrinaParkerUK) April 29, 2018

I received a message from my daughter that she was forcibly removed from the cinema for laughing too much and was being held in security. My husband and I came to get her ASAP.

— Lydia Parker (@LydiaBParker) April 29, 2018

They should throw her a 25th party & private screening in one of the screens as a thank you!

— Dana K Segal (@danaksegal) April 29, 2018

Thank you, she is recovering at home and watched the rest of the film on DVD. Her friends were amazing. She is a strong and amazing young woman.

— Lydia Parker (@LydiaBParker) April 29, 2018

Glad she’s ok. Lots and lots of people walked out, and talked at length with the staff. It was a relief when her friends were reunited.

— Lawrence Becko (@lawrencebecko) April 29, 2018

We had no idea people walked out. Thank you for your support. She definitely deserves at least an apology. I am concerned that she was dragged out against her will. Thank goodness she had friends with her. This has never happened to her in any cinema.

— Lydia Parker (@LydiaBParker) April 29, 2018

Later the director of external affairs for the BFI told Radio 2:

‘We are incredibly sorry for everybody who was affected by what happened at last night’s screening.

Our priority is that absolutely everybody can enjoy a screening, everybody of any ability.

This was an incredibly challenging and complex situation and even though our staff are trained they might have got it wrong in this particular instance.

Someone had made a very loud complaint and they were also removed from the cinema.

It was a complex and challenging scenario and our staff are trained to take inclusion incredibly seriously.’

Thank you to everyone who has tweeted with sympathy about how the #bfi and some audience members treated my sister tonight. We're incredibly angry, but thank you to everyone who walked out or tweeted in response, your support means a lot. @bfi you got some apologising to do…

— Sabrina Parker ☀️ (@SabrinaParkerUK) April 29, 2018