Shame on Orion Event Security and Oranik Love Project 2018

I would like to bring attention to "Orion Security Solutuons" as well as event organisers for "Organic Love Project".

A large group of my friends and I bought tickets online to attend Organik Love Project in April 2018. We were a group of about 11, all races, some had tattoos, some did not, some had funky colours in their hair and some were just normal looking. We had been planning to attenattend Organic Love Project for weeks, 2 of my friends would be attending their very first outdoor party and were super excited. We started to sort out vehicles 3 days before as it was about a 2 and a half hour drive to the party venue outside Caledon. It was a 2 day event so tents, food, water and all other essentials needed to be packed as well. We even packed tenting equipment for people we were to meet inside the campsite at the event as they had no space for it.

After travelling for 2 and a half hours we eventually got to the venue, all very excited and in the best of moods. Until we encounted "Orion Event Solutions" who were managing ticketing, and the searching of vehicles along side event staff. Our group of 3 vehicles was told to park off the main access road and told that we need to be searched by Ricardo from OES (Orion Event Solutions) . He then picked out all my tattooed friends who had tats showing and told them they may not enter because of their tattoos. We then started questioning Ricardo as to why he was picking out tattooed people and refusing them shooting and fighting entry. He said at a previous even he had almost been shot by some people with tattoos who also were involved with fighting, he admitted that we were not the people who were involved in those past incidents however he was not letting anyone in with tattoos! We told him what he was doing was ************** and that it was not right. He then called the event organiser by the name of Lee who basically looked all of us up and down then said to Ricardo it was up to him. Ricardo then walked away from us to collect envelopes which contained refunds of all of our ticket money, which was incorrectly calculated and removed the access bands from the people who had gotten theirs already. He told us to get lost as nothing we said would change his decession. We all stayed and tried to reason with him but were basically told to get lost again rudely! We were all very angry and disapointed. We were not able to contact the owners of the camping equipment we had transported to give it to them because Ricardo instead we leave as our vehicles were blocking the road. We all now had to drive back to Cape Town wasting more petrol and time.

I think the way this incident was handled, was totally unprofessional and discriminatory. Firstly the ticketing company Quicket and event website did not warn that people with tattoos would not be allowed access to the event at all. Secondly Orion Event Security should be ashamed of themselves for discriminating against people who had tattoos. This is the new South Africa, besides race, all people are equal and no one deserves to be treated different because of their own body decoration choices! Thirdly the way we were treated is completely wrong as Ricardo admitted we had nothing to do with the incidents of shooting and fighting involving other tattooed party goers we did not know. How can this be allowed to happen? It is definitely not the way we want to live in our new South Africa. Event organisers you should be ashamed of yourselves, after all calling an event Love Project and then showing nothing but hate is shameful, I hope you find another company who does not discriminate to provide security solutions at your events! Also be upfront about who can attend and who cannot, we had been regulars at all outdoor events until you totally ruined our psycodelic experiences and put us off attending any future events. Shame on you!!!