On 25 October 2026, staff at The Star (a JD Wetherspoon pub on Gosport High Street in Hampshire) refused entry to a group of people wearing Remembrance poppies.​ Video footage shared widely on social media shows a doorman and then a member of staff (described as the manager) turning away a group of about six people. The staff member said the poppies could be “perceived as political” and referred to a “blanket” rule that day against anything that might be seen that way, adding “It’s fair for everyone. It’s blanket. Full stop.” The group was reportedly told they could put the poppies in their pockets to enter, but would be asked to leave if they put them back on inside.​ The incident took place on a day of large anti-immigration protests and counter-demonstrations in Gosport (linked to small-boat arrivals and opposition to a proposed Haslar immigration centre). Hundreds of people were in the area, with a police presence, face-covering restrictions, and dispersal orders. Some accounts describe the refusal as a local, temporary decision by the manager amid the crowds, focused on keeping order and limiting entry of protesters (from either side) rather than a standing rule against poppies. Reform UK councillor George Madgwick said the group included Reform members who had been campaigning but had no visible party branding; he expected Wetherspoon founder Sir Tim Martin would react strongly.​ This is not official JD Wetherspoon company policy. The chain publicly supports the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, sells poppies in its pubs (raising around £60,000 a year in past appeals), and has previously confirmed that both staff and customers are free to wear Remembrance poppies. Its published dress code does not list poppies as prohibited. A similar nationwide “ban” claim in 2017 was a hoax from a parody account that the company publicly rejected.​ As of the latest reports, no formal company statement specifically addressing the Gosport incident has been widely published, and some outlets note the claims have not been fully independently verified beyond the circulating videos and social media posts. The episode has generated significant online anger and calls for boycotts of the pub or the chain, particularly because Gosport is a naval/military town and the poppy is widely viewed as a non-political symbol of remembrance for the war dead.

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