A video posted on Instagram by an American photographer and videographer, known online as nyc.buddha, has reignited scrutiny of a prominent Lisbon nightclub. In the clip, recorded in the early hours of Friday, the 30-year-old describes being refused entry to K Urban Beach, a sprawling venue on the banks of the Tagus, because of his race. He calls it the 'most racist moment' he has experienced in his life.
The footage, which quickly drew thousands of views before being deleted, shows the man and his brother confronting a security guard at the door. According to their account, they were first told the entry fee would be €250 each — a sum they found absurd, especially as other patrons appeared to be admitted without such a charge. When they challenged the guard, he allegedly responded in English: 'Yes, I do not like black people.'
The brothers then tried to buy tickets online, where the same night's entry cost around €32 for both. When they returned, a woman had joined the guard, and both refused them entry, claiming the club was full and that they would be refunded. Pressed again, the guard repeated his earlier remark, this time gesturing to a Black colleague beside him. Asked what that made his colleague, the guard replied, 'He is my bro!' When the American asked, 'And to you, what am I? A nigga?' the guard confirmed, 'You are a nigga.'
The term, highly offensive in the United States, has a complex history; its shortened form is sometimes used within Black communities but remains derogatory in many contexts. The incident has sparked an outpouring of anger on K Urban Beach's Instagram page, with hundreds of comments accusing the club of racism.
A decade of complaints
This is not the first time K Urban Beach has faced such allegations. José Falcão, founder of the Portuguese anti-racism NGO SOS Racismo, told Euronews that his organisation has received complaints about the club 'at least since 2013'. The most prominent case dates to 2014, when Olympic triple jumper Nelson Évora wrote on Facebook that he and 15 friends, all with pre-booked tables, were turned away because there were 'too many black people in the group'.
In 2017, a young Black Frenchman named Ruben reported a nearly identical scenario: he was asked for €250 at the door while his white companions were not. When the group accused the doorman of racism, a brawl broke out between security staff and patrons. That incident led the Public Prosecutor's Office to order the club's temporary closure between November 2017 and January 2018.
Despite the shutdown, complaints have continued. Online reviews on platforms like Tripadvisor are littered with accounts of discriminatory pricing and hostile treatment by doormen. One June 2025 review describes a woman being hit on the head at the entrance, with the police allegedly doing nothing. Falcão says he has lost count of the 'dozens' of reports his NGO has received, and questions why the club remains open when other venues are closed for far lesser infractions.
K Urban Beach is part of Grupo K, owned by brothers João and Gonçalo Rocha, who have run Lisbon nightlife venues since the late 1980s. The club has not publicly responded to the latest allegations. For nyc.buddha, the goal of sharing the video was simple: to 'spread' the word and hold the club accountable. The post has already had an effect, forcing the venue's social media team to confront a flood of criticism.
This episode underscores a broader issue of racial discrimination in European nightlife, a problem that persists despite legal protections. As Falcão puts it, 'People are being systematically turned away at the entrance for the sole reason that they are black. How is it possible for the state to do nothing?'
