Alcohol-soaked violence in pubs continues to be a major issue in the UK, drawing stark comparison to the comparatively mild incidents in Australia so often inflamed by scandal-hungry media.
Last week, The Yenton pub in Birmingham hit the news again for unfettered violence, with a woman posting her delighted observation of another “good old pub fight” showing around a dozen men punching and kicking each other.
The brawl broke out amid patrons and families, some of whom tried to intervene. No security is seen in the video.
Several people were reportedly injured, and paramedics called.
West Midlands Police report no arrests have been made at this stage, but investigations are continuing.
The incident follows one at The Yenton on 30 October last year, where a man was knocked unconscious and suffered facial injuries, and another head injuries.
In February the UK’s largest pub group, Wetherspoons, experienced a massive brawl involving around 100 people in the Albany Palace in Trowbridge, one of the group’s 3,000+ pubs.
Video was taken by an onlooker showing dozens of drunk men punching on, beyond the control of the bouncers.
22-year-old Nick Smith told the UK Press Association he was simply getting a drink at the bar when he was hit by an unknown assailant. “… next minute I turn ‘round and get bottled,” he said, suffering a head injury and blacking out for a while.
The video was taken by 21-year-old Tommy Arkle, a friend of Smith’s, who reported it began as a ‘one-on-one’ but escalated dramatically.
“The night was ruined because obviously we had to go to hospital with Nick after to make sure he was all right.”
Police reportedly took 15 minutes to arrive, and an officer was hit in the face.
While the officer was not injured, police report two men sustained injuries and were treated by paramedics.
One man was arrested on suspicion of affray, and another charged with possession of a knife in a public place. No further arrests have been announced to date. (continues below)
On the evening of 14 January this year, Warrnambool institution Seanchai Irish Pub saw an incident between two groups, with an indignant patron punching a man that just threw a drink at him.
27-year-old Luke Chapman is seen in the CCTV footage playing pool with a friend, adjacent to another group sitting at stools.
The footage released does not show any prior contact between the two groups, but out of the blue the only male in the second group deliberately throws a drink at Chapman, who is standing next to the pool table.
The drunk and annoyed Chapman walks over and utters something, before throwing a single punch that knocks the man back off his stool. The assailant is seen attempting to have a swig of his beer, as the hardly innocent victim is helped from the floor by several girls.
The incident was reported by The Standard as a “frightening assault” perpetrated on the basis of a slur on the man’s sexuality, following “disgusting comments”.
Chapman plead guilty to unlawful assault in Warrnambool Magistrates Court, with Magistrate Cynthia Toose fining him $2,000.