Follow-up on Café Philip story

Fouad El Hajioui and Yoshin Kwee, two students of the university, tell us some more about their experience with Café Philip.

You can read the story about Café Philip in our magazine (page 17).

F: I had experienced being rejected by Café Philip three times. First time I was with a big group with my other Dutch friends for a birthday party, ready to spend our money at Philip. I was walking with the Dutch girl, both of us wearing the same Nike shoes. The girl got in, but I didn’t. I was told that it’s because of my shoes. There was even a policeman next to us, and he was apparently a friend of the doorman, so he took his side. I think it’s because I am originally Moroccan. It’s also usually guys who get refused an entrance to Philip.

Y: That’s true. I am a girl [originally from Indonesia] so I was never discriminated in bars, which is even stranger. All racism is discrimination, but not all discrimination is racism. It’s not fair that they refuse people whose skin is a shade of pink they don’t like. I wonder why they do it. It’s usually not so crowded inside, so how can they afford refusing people? I heard many stories like these, mainly about Café Philip. You can also see that inside it’s not so multicultural.

F: Not like in Studio, where there is a mix of ethnicities. I love it.

Y: I am a member of Extra Muros [Liberal Arts and Sciences study association] and we sometimes have drinks in Café Philip. Which is strange, because it is an international association! But I guess they have a deal with Philip, so they don’t get refused.

F: I was an I*ESN mentor and we also had some drinks there. As long as Philip can make money out of these deals with students, they’ll let them in. Especially because exchange students drink a lot (laughs). If nothing is organized and the students go individually, they sometimes get refused.

Y: I don’t know on what basis they make a selection. I mean, there are many 40-year old guys inside Philip who just look gross, always alone and staring at girls. I get the rule in Carpe Diem [I*ESN building] that only members are admitted. But in Café Philip? Do they select people basing on a gut feeling? Do they play a fashion police?

F: I really think that it’s just covering up discrimination against a skin color.