A punk band from Germany said they won’t be making another attempt to tour in the UK after allegedly being refused entry and experiencing ‘degrading’ treatment at the border due to post Brexit rule changes. Stuttgart-based band Trigger Cut was due to play at seven UK venues but was refused entry into the country. They were scheduled to play in London, Bristol, Newcastle, Glasgow, Brighton, Ipswich, and Sheffield from April 7 to April 14. The band wrote on Facebook: “Today we got refused at the UK border for weird reasons. We would have needed a special certificate of sponsorship but no one knew before, not even the venues, promoters, or the German customs authority…Brexit bureaucracy??? A post-Brexit nightmare.” The band, which consists of three members, also said the whole experience “at the UK border was humiliating and sad.” The band then explained the UK authorities wanted them to have a “so-called certificate of sponsorship from all seven clubs”, which they claimed “was unknown even to the organisers.” They added: “Nobody knew about it! I think I’ve never felt so degraded, sad, and bad as I do today. We were completely unfairly rejected and were not allowed to enter the UK. We were handed like criminals to the French border police and had to leave Calais.” The band then added they won’t be making “a third attempt to tour” in the UK, saying: “The pain and humiliation runs deep. The first tour there had Covid devastated us and we were left with massive costs that were not repaid.” The UK officially left the European Union on January 31, 2020. Since then, the experience of British travellers to the EU and vice versa has changed dramatically. A government spokesman told the Guardian: “Musicians and performers are a valued and important part of UK culture with the country attracting world-class entertainers and musicians from around the globe. This is why we offer a dedicated immigration route for creative workers. “All visa applications are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the immigration rules. The application process is designed to ensure that all visa decisions can be made using the most accurate information and is fair for all applicants.”
