Freo.Social has released a statement on social media following reports of an alleged assault that occurred at the venue on Sunday, August 7.
“Freo.Social takes full responsibility for the events of Sunday night and have already taken several steps in an effort to address the impact of the incident,” it read.
“Since the incident occurred, we have spoken with witnesses, venue management and reviewed all available footage. We have subsequently determined that the conduct of an employee of Freo Social’s sister venue Mojo’s, who was a patron at Freo.Social on Sunday night, was inappropriate.”
“As a result, the staff member’s employment with Mojo’s has been terminated. We have also reached out directly to the band and sent them a letter of apology, which they have acknowledged.”
Local punk act Body Horrors, who performed on the night supporting Amyl and The Sniffers, alleged a staff member of Mojo’s Bar, who have the same owners as Freo.Social, was both physically and verbally aggressive toward them.
“(She) started antagonising us, clearly intoxicated, aggressively yelling in our faces,” the band’s Instagram story read.
“Realising there was no reasoning with someone in such a state, Eden and I tried to leave, twice.”
“(She) then physically assaulted them by shoving them against the wall/door before opening the door to leave herself.”
Freo.Social confirmed it was investigating the incident on Tuesday, saying “this investigation includes discussions with all parties involved, any witnesses, and reviewing the venue’s CCTV footage.”
Today Freo.Social highlighted their efforts to ensure the venue was a safe space for patrons.
“All of our venues operate under a clear Code of Conduct to which we hold anyone in our venues to account… Deviation by any person from this Code of Conduct will be met with appropriate action.”
They have pledged to update their Code of Conduct, and address any concerns from patrons, stakeholders and the public.
“This incident has profoundly impacted many people, for which we sincerely apologise,” they said.
However this does not seem to have quelled the concerns of some musicians, with popular local singer-songwriter Noah Dillon cancelling his scheduled performance at Freo.Social on Friday night.
“The safety of our patrons will always be our number one priority in putting on our shows, this was meant to be an inclusive and accessible gig that catered to the whole community,” he said.
“We will always err on the side of caution and protection when it comes to putting on events and after days of conversation and deliberation we feel this is the safest decision for everyone involved.”
Mojo’s Bar came under criticism last year with multiple bands withdrawing from performing there due to concerns about patron safety at the venue.
Freo.Social has released a statement on social media following reports of an alleged assault that occurred at the venue on Sunday, August 7. Follow X-Press on Facebook and sign up to our newsletter for updates on this story as it unfolds.
