UK's premier green awareness festival under threat from police and local council.

[trev]

Here's the official press release from BGG



PRESS NOTICE - 26TH JULY 2009

www.big-green-gathering.com

contact holly at desylvapr.com / anna at desylvapr.com / 020 3393 7020





Big Green Gathering Shut Down

"It's political" Chief Superintendent tells BGG Director



Chief Superintendent Paul Richards admitted to a Big Green Gathering 
Director that the decision to shut down the Big Green Gathering was 
political and confirmed to the Chair of the Big Green Gathering that orders 
had come from the highest level.

During a meeting today between the police and directors of the Big Green 
Gathering, the superintendent said the decision to shut down the BGG was 
taken over a week ago, confirming the statement from the BGG lawyer that the 
'injunction was a red herring.'

Directors from the BGG are horrified at this partisan interpretation of 
licencing law.  Big Green Gathering Chair Brig Oubridge said, "At the 
multi-agency meeting on Thursday 23rd July, we were still negotiating with 
the police and the council under the genuine belief that things were 
progressing and we were continuing to spend money on infrastructure, wages 
and security.  If they knew they were going to cancel the event, we can only 
conclude that this drive to increase expenditure appears to be a deliberate 
attempt to bankrupt the Big Green Gathering.

The injunction served on the Big Green Gathering was primarily addressing 
the fact that the Big Green Gathering did not obtain the necessary road 
closure despite the fact that the Highways Agency had previously indicated 
that this would be done.

The Big Green Gathering has been running an event since 1994 and never 
before has public safety been an issue.  The BGG has an exemplary record on 
health and safety and crime levels have always been low for the number of 
people on site.

Despite the concerns over the behaviour of the Council and the Police, event 
organisers will work with them to ensure the safety of those at the premises 
and ensure that they leave the land in an orderly fashion.  Brig concluded, 
"We are very aware of our responsibilities to those already on the site and 
very sad for all those who were coming to enjoy one of the most peaceful 
festivals in the UK."

Ends:





Holly de Sylva



--------------------------------------------------
From: <iainferguson at AOL.COM>
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 5:02 PM
To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>
Subject: Re: UK's premier green awareness festival under threat from police 
and local council.

> Trev,
>
> i'm from 4 miles from Cheddar, and there seems conflicting stories about 
> why the licence has been handed back by the festival promoters.
> 1/ the Council & Police say civil disruption and traffic chaos. plus 
> provisions for safe parking and signage on site were not present.
> 2/ the festival organiser ( or spokesperson) couldn't work out why it was 
> cancelled.
> 3/ the media round here are saying the promoter didn't apply to the 
> council for road signs to be made so that they could divert traffic around 
> the area, you'll know how narrow are lanes are in these parts.
> 4/ Firebrigade & H&S are saying there were deep concerns about fire 
> hazards, and lack of sweardship.
>
> but whats the truth, You got any inside knowledge, was looking forward to 
> it...
>
> iain
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: trev <judge48 at HOTMAIL.COM>
> To: BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET
> Sent: Mon, Jul 27, 2009 4:30 pm
> Subject: UK's premier green awareness festival under threat from police 
> and local council.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Look at this. Real festival Music are going to war and we call upon the 
> legions
> of the Blessed to mobilize.
> Under Real Festival Music News section
> http://www.realfestivalmusic.co.uk/welcome.html
>
> Trev
>
>
> Discover the UK Green Festival scene
> REAL FESTIVAL MUSIC  http://www.realfestivalmusic.co.uk
> Festival CD's, Festival Photo Reviews, Festival Listings, News, Healers
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Jonathan Jarrett" <jjarrett at CHIARK.GREENEND.ORG.UK>
> Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 3:49 PM
> To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>
> Subject: Re: Teapots in Space
>
>> On Fri, 17 Jul 2009, mike coleman wrote:
>>
>>> oh come on, not even an ayahuasca experience could erase the truth that
>>> astronomers are just more quarantined humans to "them", and that they 
>>> only
>>> risk earth to steal garden gnomes with American accents....and water
>>
>>  Perhaps they're after tea. Do you know of any *other* planet where
>> it grows? Eh? You see, yours,
>>        Jon
>>
>> -- 
>>       Jonathan Jarrett, Cambridge    jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
>> 
>> =======================================================================
>>  "With Capitalism, man exploits man.  With Socialism, it is exactly 
>> opposite"
>>                   -Robert Anton Wilson
>>
>
>
>
>
>