Published
Fri, Jul 27, 2018, 12:37
- Around 100 people turned up outside Hackney Town Hall earlier today.
Protestors gathered outside Hackney Town Hall today to vent their frustration at Hackney Council's controversial new licensing policy.
The 100-strong congregation turned out in the midday heat to chant "stand up, fight back" and listen to speeches. UK techno artist Perc, who lives in nearby Harringay, called Hackney's nightlife scene "one of the strongest in London," adding: "It needs to be preserved and it needs to be fought for." Hackney resident and DJ Belle Fiik, AKA DJ She-Ra, told Resident Advisor "you have to support nightlife or the culture dies."
Several key industry figures gave speeches. Alan Miller, director of the NTIA (Night Time Industries Association) told the crowd: "We've got so much to be proud of in Hackney. It's a place people around the world talk about."
"The nighttime economy in Hackney supports so many jobs," said fabric booker Judy Griffith who has been a Hackney resident for 15 years. She told the crowd the area was "in danger of becoming like the West End—boring, homogenised and soulless." Griffith added that Hackney's "creative spirit" would be "blown away" by the new policy. "Why is the council not listening?" she asked. "Why are they pandering to the minority?"
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