Below is a rather worrying report from the UK; where it seems anti-terror laws are now being applied to live music, where police are now able to decide who can and can’t perform.
A sign of things to come? We hope not…
A dozen London boroughs have implemented a “risk assessment” policy for live music that permits the police to ban any live music if they fail to receive personal details from the performers 14 days in advance. The demand explicitly singles out performances and musical styles favoured by the black community: garage and R&B, and MCs and DJs.
However all musical performances – from one man playing a guitar on up – are subject to the demands once implemented by the council. And the threat is serious: failure to comply “may jeopardise future events by the promoter or the venue”.
UK Music chief Feargal Sharkey told a House of Commons select committee that the policy had already been used to pull the plug on an afternoon charity concert of school bands in a public park organised by a local councillor.
“No alcohol would be sold, tickets were limited to three maximum, and the councillor offered to supply eight registered doormen. Police objected on the grounds that the names, addresses and dates of birth of the young performer could not be provided,” said Sharkey, speaking to the Department of Culture Media and Sport’s hearing on venue licensing today.
“Live music is now a threat to the prevention of terrorism”, he concluded.
Taken from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/11/met_police_live_music_terror_trawl/
