Perth’s Rapture Nightclub has come under fire for their alleged response to claims of drink-spiking over the weekend.
As News.com.au reports, Rapture was the nightclub attended by 19-year-old Shantel Smith last weekend, who believes her drink may have been spiked while at the Northbridge venue.
Taking to Facebook Messenger recently, Smith alerted the venue to this information, noting that it may be worth increasing their security to ensure such an incident does not happen to anyone else in the future.
“I had only had 2 or 3 drinks before I came in so I definitely wasn’t drunk,” Smith explained in a message. “Bought 1 drink from the bar and was then unconscious for the next 2.5 hours, vomiting & experiencing other common symptoms of a date rape drug.
“I didn’t see a single bouncer inside or anywhere around the bar & think this would be good idea to start having.”
However, after following up with the club and asking whether her message had been received, Rapture allegedly sent back a series of questions to Shantel, questioning – amongst other things – whether or not she is worthy of having her drink spiked.
“What proof do you have of your drink being spiked? Why would anyone want to spike your drink?” the club allegedly responded.
“Did you attend a hospital and have your stomach pumped for evidence? Is this something you and your friends experience regularly?
“Would you like a crowd controller to hold you drink for you next time you attend a nightclub? Do you think ten crowd controllers would be able to stop you having your drink spiked? Are you worth someone trying to spike your drink?
“We think this is a beat up and we believe that no one would be stupid enough to waste their drugs on spiking anyone’s drink.”
Needless to say, the backlash was swift, with punters flooding the club’s Facebook page with negative reviews and comments, and criticising the way that owners allegedly acted towards Shantel Smith.
In fact, the community response has even found its way over to Change.org, where a petition has been launched to see Perth’s Rapture Nightclub closed and turned into a “homeless shelter or women’s refuge.”
“We live in 2019, a time when violence against women, including sexual assault, is at epidemic proportions,” the petition reads.
“To create change, we have to stand up for women and give them respect. Misogyny, victim blaming and shaming cannot go unnoticed and it cannot be tolerated.
“This blatant lack of respect for individuals experiencing disadvantage and for the safety of women is unacceptable. The role of being an owner of a licensed venue should be to demonstrate respect for customers and the community and to ensure a safe environment, at the top of their priorities.”
At the time of publication, the petition has attracted more than 8,500 signatures, closing in on its goal of 10,000.
Check out the ‘exciting’ action at Perth’s Rapture Nightclub:
