BFI cinema apologises after woman with Asperger’s syndrome is removed from screening for ‘laughing too loudly’

One audience member shouted: 'Shut up b****'
Tamsin Parker said she had booked tickets to the film showing as a treat for her 25th birthday

A woman with Asperger’s syndrome was verbally abused by audience members and removed from a cinema screening for “laughing too loudly.”

Tamsin Parker said she was left feeling traumatised after being forced to leave a viewing of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly at the British Film Institute Southbank (BFI).

She said that she frantically tried to explain that she was autistic but a member of the audience shouted “you’re retarded”, while another told her to “shut up b****”.

The BFI has since apologised for the incident and admitted it “got it wrong”, pledging to investigate the incident to ensure staff handle such situations better in future.

Tamsin Parker, an animation graduate from London, said she had booked tickets to the film showing as a treat for her 25th birthday on Sunday.

Ms Parker had gone to see her favourite film at the BFI when the incident happened

She said she was at the cinema “laughing and having a good time” with two friends, who are also on the autistic spectrum, when she became aware that some audience members were annoyed at how loud she was laughing.

“I realised people were getting annoyed right from when one man shouted, "Shut up, b****!’,” she told the Standard.

“It was a scene of Eli Wallach improvising with a bunch of revolver parts. His timing and expressions made it funny,” she said.

“I never meant to annoy anyone. I have problems with volume control. I was only trying to enjoy myself.

“Later the audience was laughing at something and I found this hypocritical, so I mimicked the guy who had earlier turned around and shouted [to shut up].

“Staff members, including the manager, were coming to ask me to quiet down,” she told the Standard.

'I realised people were getting annoyed right from when one man shouted, "Shut up, b****!’'

“I didn't understand what I was doing wrong and I wanted to watch the rest of the film.

“Later the audience laughed again, and I said, without realizing my volume, ‘It wasn't that funny.’ That was when security came and asked me to leave.”

Ms Parker said she refused and then two security guards grabbed her by the arms and lead her to the exit.

She said she tried to explain that she was autistic but one audience member shouted back “you're retarded” and some people applauded as she was escorted out.

Once out of the screen, Ms Parker explained to staff about her autism and they said they should have been informed about it in advance.

“The manager said, ‘If I'd known, then I wouldn't have thrown you out.’ However, she didn't let me and my friends back into the cinema,” she said.

She said she was left traumatised after being made to leave a viewing of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Ms Parker said she was later informed that somebody from the National Autistic Society had been in the audience and had attempted to intervene.

The graduate, who is an avid supporter of autism charities, said: “I was humiliated at being dragged out in front of all those people with the lights up, while I was trying to explain to everyone that I was autistic.

“It was shocking that I was thrown out before the person who was abusive to me.

“I felt traumatised and fear it will affect my enjoyment of watching the film again. Quite frankly, it ruined my birthday celebration.”

After she was thrown out, a number of other attendees promptly left the cinema, expressing disgust at her treatment.

Novelist Lloyd Shepherd had been attending the screening with his son. He told the Standard: "She had been laughing very loudly but at moments which were supposed to be funny.

"When the guy shouted at her, a few people actually applauded while some others hissed. A number of us left quite swiftly.

"I think the BFI needs to think very carefully about their processes for dealing with this kind of thing - and they should apologise immediately."

A BFI spokeswoman said: “We are sincerely sorry to those affected by the incident at Sunday’s screening at BFI Southbank.

“Our priority is for everyone to be able to enjoy our venue and we try hard to provide a good experience to our customers, however yesterday, in what was a challenging and complex situation, we got it wrong.

“We are taking this situation extremely seriously and this morning we have been investigating further to understand what happened in more depth and contacting the customers affected.

“We can and must do better in accommodating all the needs of our customers and we will be addressing what additional provisions and staff training we can put in place to deal with all situations with sensitivity.”

Ms Parker is raising money for the NAS, visit her fundraising page here.

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