Wioletta and her three-month-old son were waiting for her father to finish shopping in Sports Direct. She was sitting on a bench breastfeeding him when she was asked to leave by staff.
She was told that breastfeeding mothers were “not welcome” in the store, and that she would have to leave the premises. Wioletta had to stand outside in tears while she tried to feed her son in the rain.
It’s appalling that a big company would put a mum in this position. And it’s against the law. It is illegal to discriminate against a breastfeeding woman under the Equality Act 2010 -- but Sports Direct seems to have ignored this.
Use the form on the right to tell Sports Direct to apologise immediately, and change its policy to stop discriminating against breastfeeding mums.
Wioletta tried to argue that it’s not against the law to breastfeed in public. But the staff insisted she was “not welcome”. Now, she feels too nervous to feed her baby anywhere in public.
It’s unacceptable to make a mother feel ashamed of doing something so natural as feeding her baby. Other mothers have spoken up in support of Wioletta, and a group of them will be going to the store to stage a “nurse in” protest.
So far, Sports Direct has refused to comment on its discriminatory and humiliating policy. But it knows full well that its bottom line depends on the goodwill of the public -- including mums. If we can put Sports Direct under pressure now, it will be forced to do the right thing and apologise to save its reputation and brand.
Tell Sports Direct to apologise immediately, and end its discrimination against breastfeeding mothers.