Vancouver nightclub appeals Instagram ban after U.S.-themed marquee post

Vancouver’s Penthouse Night Club says it is appealing an Instagram ban after posting a marquee sign that mocked Donald Trump’s aspirations to rename Lake Ontario Lake America and a dispute involving the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.

Benjamin Jackson, who creates the strip club’s well-known signs, said the post disappeared about three minutes after he published it and that both his personal account and the Penthouse account were removed. Jackson said the club’s signs, once largely humorous and sometimes indecent promotions, have become more political in recent years.

Owner Danny Filippone said the club was shocked because the sign named no one. The club had previously faced social-media action after its X account was banned for hate speech over a sign reading, “Always neighbours, never neighbors,” posted amid Trump’s rhetoric about Canada becoming a 51st state.

Jackson said the nightclub has received strong community support, with people in Vancouver offering words of encouragement and saying “elbows up.” He said people now see the venue as a voice extending beyond Vancouver. CityNews contacted Meta, Instagram’s parent company, for comment.