The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation on Friday targeting the Parisian restaurant Manko, suspected of having refused to let in people of color last Saturday.
"An investigation is being carried out today on the grounds of discrimination based on origin, ethnicity or nationality in the offer or supply of a good or service," the prosecution told Le Parisien.
This upscale establishment on Avenue Montaigne (8th arrondissement) aroused the indignation of Internet users on Wednesday after the publication of a Tik tok video in which we see the security guard of the restaurant refusing to let in several black people, on the grounds that they do not are not in “evening dress”.
The video was posted by a Montrealer passing through Paris with three friends, who nevertheless seem dressed for the occasion and are wearing heels.
Manko was forced to apologize on Instagram the same day, assuring that "the necessary sanctions (had) been taken immediately and permanently".
The restaurant had denounced an “unspeakable act” of the security guard, “an employee employed by a service provider”, “laid off” since.
calls for a boycott
According to Le Monde, the Alba company, which provides security for the restaurant, clarified that he had not lost his job but that he would "no longer be assigned to the security of Manko".
Many personalities including musicians DJ Snake, Vegedream, Naza and even Hatik had called for a boycott of this popular restaurant.
I love it @djsnake 🙏🏻🫶🏼 #MankoParis #racism pic.twitter.com/pqSlbqQMfX
— PURNAMA 🌗🇩🇿 (@Imaaayn) July 20, 2022
The deputy of La France insoumise of the 8th district of the North, David Guiraud had meanwhile announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he had written "a question to the government on acts of racist filtering in places open to the public", adding that he had alerted the Defender of rights.
🤔 Le Manko Paris will have to explain
Following recent videos denouncing filtering excluding black people from the restaurant, I am writing a question to the government on acts of racist filtering in places open to the public.
I also alerted the Defender of Rights pic.twitter.com/z5cgJoFsj1
— David Guiraud (@GuiraudInd) July 20, 2022
This is not the first time that an upscale restaurant has been targeted by accusations of racism.
In February 2020, in a video viewed more than a million times, a young woman claimed to have been turned away from Le Matignon restaurant located near the Champs-Élysées, because one of her friends was veiled.
