Posters have appeared around Croydon in an apparent dig at a “racist” decision to ban a nightclub from playing bashment music.
Roy Seda, who runs Croydon’s Dice Bar, alleged police officers banned him from playing the Jamaican style of music, which is performed by the likes of Sean Paul, Shaggy and Beenie Man, as the genre was branded “unacceptable.”
Since the row first erupted in March, posters based on the infamous “no blacks, no dogs, no Irish” posters have been put up around Croydon, including near the venue in the High Street, in an apparent critique of the “bashment ban”.
The adverts have the words blacks, dogs and Irish crossed out and instead read “no bashment, no grime, no dubstep”.
Roy Seda. Photo courtesy www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk
Mr Seda alleged that Sergeant Michael Emery, a Croydon licensing officer, sent him an email telling him his venue was playing “what this borough finds unacceptable forms of music”.
The bar was subject to a licensing review in April, after police said it was linked to crime and disorder.
Mr Seda said he changed the type of music played in the venue in a bid to keep his licence, but faced a backlash from customers and lost out on several bookings as a result.
At a licensing committee meeting on April 15 councillors thew out the bid by police to tighten restrictions imposed on the bar – including forcing it to reduce its opening hours.
In making their decision, during two hours of deliberations, the committee members noted that the bar had already sought advice on how to deal with problems that had arisen.
In a statement issued following the meeting, Andy Tarrant, borough commander of Croydon police, denied the allegations had had a “racist undertone”
Chief Supt Tarrant said: “There were a number of crimes and incidents at the bar that we believed had the potential to put people at risk or become a victim of crime. This is not something we can accept, and so have a duty of act.
“Applying for a licence review is a last resort. Croydon police’s licensing team worked with the PLH [personal licence-holder] and DPS [designated premises supervisor] to improve how the premises are run. There have been periods of improvement, but they were never sustained, which led to our application for a review.
“However, in carrying out our duty a number of allegations have been made by the PLH about the conduct of our officers. We dispute those allegations. If the licence holder wants to make a formal complaint it will be fully investigated, and any evidence he has looked at.”
A Croydon Council spokesman said: “Neither the council or the licensing committee has a policy banning any particular kind of music.
“The committee is an independent body that makes all licensing decisions. These decisions are based on the four licensing objectives, not on music types.”
SOURCE: The Evening Standard
