Carnival postponed - but bjaxx & westwood go to burnley!
After our planned April Carnival had to be switched from Burnley to Blackburn, we’ve now received the bad news that the proposed venue in Blackburn, Witton Park, won’t be able to host the Carnival. The ground there has become too waterlogged during the last few weeks, making the potential damage and therefore cost, too high for us to go with at this point. We will be organising another big outdoor LMHR carnival during the summer.
We’re delighted to say though, that BASEMENT JAXX & TIM WESTWOOD will still be appearing - at an all-day LMHR event at BURNLEY’s Mechanics venue on the same day - Sunday 27th April, along with other special guests to be announced very soon. Two of Burnley’s three Nazi BNP councillors are up for re-election just four days later, and earlier in the day of the 27th everyone is urged to join anti-Nazi protest and leafletting in the town (meeting place and time tbc).
Also - don’t forget Mr Scruff plays a LMHR night in Blackburn on April 18th, and Milltown Brothers and more play Burnley Mechanics next Friday 4th April.
Blackburn-with-Darwen Council stressed that their decision to refuse use of Witton Park at this stage was on purely technical/practical grounds. They have stated they’ll be glad to consider another application for an event during the summer if required, when the ground will be much drier. We’re in talks with planners of other major Blackburn events this summer, such as Music in the Park, Blackburn Mela, and Blackburn Rovers FC, about working jointly with them or having a LMHR presence at one or more of these events.
We’d previously applied to have a Carnival in Burnley … here’s how Burnley Council once more refused to cooperate:-
Once again, Burnley Borough Council have disgracefully refused an Entertainment Licence for a Love Music Hate Racism in the town.
PATHETIC EXCUSES
This is the third time the Labour-run council has pandered to the town’s tiny racist minority by turning down the opportunity for a positive day of FREE diverse music to unite all sections of the community to show an alternative to the Nazis’ divisive poisonous ideas.
Burnley Council’s excuses for turning down the Carnival licence application are:-
- The parks we applied for have football matches on that day (apparently a change of venue or postponement for these vital games was out of the question)
- The event is too close to the local elections, which may cause ‘problems’! (presumably they mean this might - shock horror - affect the BNP vote! there’s certainly never been a single incident of trouble at any ANL/LMHR event, and the Nazis themselves have always been far too cowardly to attend)
- The Council say they themselves are planning a number of musical and cultural events, which they don’t think should be organised by “external organisations” like the Anti Nazi League! No-one we know in Burnley has heard any firm plans for these events, certainly no plans for the sort of ANTI-RACIST event that’s needed so much; this is also an insult to the many ANL members, activists and supporters who live in Burnley, while showing the sort of ‘outsider’-unfriendly insular attitude that has surely helped the BNP’s cause in the town.
April 27th is just four days before May’s local elections - when two of the Nazi BNP’s Burnley councillors are up for re-election. We will still have a fantastic peaceful and positive day of music indoors in Burnley at The Mechanics venue that day to send out a loud message to the Nazis - you’re not wanted here!
