A popular nightclub has threatened to kick out anyone caught staring at revellers without 'verbal consent' — and has told anyone with intentions to 'pick up' a mate to stay away.
Club 77 in Sydney, Australia has introduced the strict new policy in an effort to brand the venue as a "safe space" and clamp down on inappropriate behaviour.
The new list of zero-tolerance guidelines comes as the club reported that a rise in custom following a lifting of lockdown restrictions had resulted in an uptick in incidents of harassment.
Unacceptable behaviours will include staring at other clubbers, approaching multiple people or giving them unwanted attention.
All interactions with strangers inside the nightclub must also be initiated with "verbal consent", while safety officers wearing pink vests have been hired to enforce the new rules and eject offenders from the club.
Anyone turning up with "sole purpose" of trying to pick up other clubgoers has also been discouraged from attending.
A statement from Club 77 posted on Instagram read: "Creating a safe space goes beyond implementing practices to deal with incidents after they have happened.
"We also have an obligation to educate new club-goers and help them understand what is considered unacceptable behaviour inside the venue and on the dance floor."
"As a nightclub, we encourage you to interact with strangers, however any engagement MUST begin with verbal consent. This also applies if you are, for example, staring at someone from afar. If the attention you are giving someone is unwanted, that is considered harassment."
The club also pledged to report anyone falling foul of the guidelines to the police.
Response on social media to the new measures has been mostly positive, with one user saying "this is the way" while another praised the club by commenting "thanks for stepping up".
Others however questioned why safety measures were not in place already, with one commenter writing: "I'm so confused... You didn't have security before this? Or you need an extra guard to make people be nice to each other?"
Club 77 in the central Darlinghurst district of Sydney opens seven days a week until 4am, and hosts regular performances from touring DJs.
