diff --git a/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js b/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js
index d61092c051..17e44f2a0f 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js
@@ -96,6 +96,9 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
         // helper function to access relations for an event
         getRelationsForEvent: PropTypes.func,
+
+        // whether to show reactions for an event
+        showReactions: PropTypes.bool,
     },
 
     componentWillMount: function() {
@@ -541,6 +544,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                     last={last}
                     isSelectedEvent={highlight}
                     getRelationsForEvent={this.props.getRelationsForEvent}
+                    showReactions={this.props.showReactions}
                 />
             </li>,
         );
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
index 5f4dc984d0..7c0710a18d 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
@@ -1832,6 +1832,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 membersLoaded={this.state.membersLoaded}
                 permalinkCreator={this._getPermalinkCreatorForRoom(this.state.room)}
                 resizeNotifier={this.props.resizeNotifier}
+                showReactions={true}
             />);
 
         let topUnreadMessagesBar = null;
diff --git a/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js b/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js
index 7c1afbe9c3..9b4d5200a5 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js
@@ -106,6 +106,9 @@ const TimelinePanel = React.createClass({
 
         // placeholder text to use if the timeline is empty
         empty: PropTypes.string,
+
+        // whether to show reactions for an event
+        showReactions: PropTypes.bool,
     },
 
     statics: {
@@ -1261,6 +1264,7 @@ const TimelinePanel = React.createClass({
                 resizeNotifier={this.props.resizeNotifier}
                 getRelationsForEvent={this.getRelationsForEvent}
                 editEvent={this.state.editEvent}
+                showReactions={this.props.showReactions}
             />
         );
     },
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js b/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js
index 4b5acf949e..6f0d555d4f 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js
@@ -160,8 +160,11 @@ module.exports = withMatrixClient(React.createClass({
         // show twelve hour timestamps
         isTwelveHour: PropTypes.bool,
 
-        // helper function to access relations for an event
+        // helper function to access relations for this event
         getRelationsForEvent: PropTypes.func,
+
+        // whether to show reactions for this event
+        showReactions: PropTypes.bool,
     },
 
     getDefaultProps: function() {
@@ -198,7 +201,7 @@ module.exports = withMatrixClient(React.createClass({
         const client = this.props.matrixClient;
         client.on("deviceVerificationChanged", this.onDeviceVerificationChanged);
         this.props.mxEvent.on("Event.decrypted", this._onDecrypted);
-        if (SettingsStore.isFeatureEnabled("feature_reactions")) {
+        if (this.props.showReactions && SettingsStore.isFeatureEnabled("feature_reactions")) {
             this.props.mxEvent.on("Event.relationsCreated", this._onReactionsCreated);
         }
     },
@@ -223,7 +226,7 @@ module.exports = withMatrixClient(React.createClass({
         const client = this.props.matrixClient;
         client.removeListener("deviceVerificationChanged", this.onDeviceVerificationChanged);
         this.props.mxEvent.removeListener("Event.decrypted", this._onDecrypted);
-        if (SettingsStore.isFeatureEnabled("feature_reactions")) {
+        if (this.props.showReactions && SettingsStore.isFeatureEnabled("feature_reactions")) {
             this.props.mxEvent.removeListener("Event.relationsCreated", this._onReactionsCreated);
         }
     },
@@ -485,6 +488,7 @@ module.exports = withMatrixClient(React.createClass({
 
     getReactions() {
         if (
+            !this.props.showReactions ||
             !this.props.getRelationsForEvent ||
             !SettingsStore.isFeatureEnabled("feature_reactions")
         ) {