I hope there's a good explanation for this, though I can't even in my wildest imagination come up with one. Corporal Tomos Stringer, a British soldier on sick leave from the war in Afghanistan, arrived at the Metro Hotel in Woking, UK, only to be told that he was not welcome.

According to the hotel’s policy, they are not accepting members of the armed forces as guests, and Cpl. Stringer, whose arm was in a cast from a broken wrist, was sent away to spend the night in his car. Stringer was on leave to help with funeral preparations for a friend killed in battle.

To add insult to his injury, no apology — or even an explanation — was offered by the hotel, which is owned by a family entertainment center called American Amusements. Cpl. Stringer’s mother was incensed: “I’m very, very angry. It’s discrimination. They would never get away with it if it was against someone of ethnic origin.”

To see the backlash to the incident, read more.

The incident has caused an outcry even in parliament as one MP wrote: “Although I do not know the precise circumstances, I think it is deplorable for the management of a hotel to have a policy not to accept military personnel.” Fellow soldiers are also taking action online. Some have suggested making reservations in huge numbers only to cancel at the last moment, while others are (creatively) posting unfavorable remarks on hotel-rating websites. One such comment? “Cons — No beds for our country's heroes.”

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