Post in COUNCIL GENTLY ‘BAN’ PEACE ACTIVIST FILM

Mar 21 21:15 UTC

It's being gently banned in other places too.

The Art House, a small community run cafe & gallery in Southampton, had
arranged a screening of 'On the Verge' - a documentary film about
protests outside an arms factory in Brighton for tomorrow (Thursday 20th).

This morning, the local licencing officer, John Burke of Southampton
City Council arrived at the cafe, with Sergeant Stewart Chandler,
Licencing Chief for the city..... saying that the Art House were not
allowed to show the film as it had not been certificated.

As a small venue who had only invited people known to them, Art House
staff were not aware that they needed a license or certification to show
this film to about 12 people, free of charge! The governments own White
Paper states that licensing laws were never meant to cover smaller
venues, and this law is currently under review.

The Art House later received a call from Sergeant Stewart Chandler.

He wanted assurance that the Smash EDO campaign group will not be
turning up at The Art House tomorrow - apparently he is very concerned
about "potential disorder in and around the premises" although when
asked to clarify what he meant, he got rather vague, asking if the Art
House was aware of the group's reputation as "left wing anarchists".

Art House staff were given the very clear impression that not only were
they not allowed to show the film, but if the members of smash EDO were
to arrive, it would be a problem.

It was abundantly clear from the conversation that the lack of
certification for the film, and indeed the lack of entertainment
licence, was not the issue. The smash EDO campaign report that this
scene has been repeated at other venues where the film was due to be shown.

It seems that what the British Film Board refer to as a 'grey area' of
certification is being used to prevent the showing of a film which
challenges arms manufacturers and police behaviour at protests. Nice!

The Art House have contacted their MP and local councillors calling for
a full investigation into what is quite clearly censorship by bureaucracy.
**

Roy Pennington wrote:
> COUNCIL GENTLY ‘BAN’ PEACE ACTIVIST FILM
> further to this saga
>
> Whilst not wishing to dampen the fervour of the other posts on this matter,
let’s be clear that the council did not ‘ban’ the film,  the DoY panicked.
>
> The likelihood of the council solicitor’s pursuing  any subsequent action of
breaching the terms of license is low and any application  by the  local Police
for a review of that licensing  would have been laughed out of court.
> The DoY should have argued that  because of the lateness of the advice more
public disturbance  would have been caused  by  shutting the doors of the
cinema than allowing the show to go on.  The DoY may have had other reasons for
such craven  compliance,  such as  covering up H&S breaches or the occasions
they may have been showing non-certificated films.
>
> It is ironic that the reason DoY had a membership requirement up to 1985 was
to avoid the Eady Levy  (a ticket tax which funded the British Film Fund
Agency) and which  therefore allowed them to show uncertificated films.
>
> Roy Pennington
> City center - Palace Pier to West Pier via Seven Dials, Brighton and Hove
> Info about Roy Pennington:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/roypennington
>
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