“We call for the support of our mayor to protect small businesses and the rights of the many over the few.”
Hackney club Shapes, which shut its doors last month, is calling on Sadiq Khan to save it from permanent closure.
“Shapes calls on mayor Sadiq Khan to fulfil his pledge to protect London’s music venues and investigate the unethical actions of both his planning department and his police force in this matter,” Shapes wrote in a statement sent to FACT via email.
“The social agenda of big business is slowly being uncovered, its tentacles tightly entangled amongst the grain of our public bodies, and we call for the support of our mayor to protect small businesses and the rights of the many over the few.” The statement then adds: “For the love of everyone else striving to make something culturally great out of nothing, we ask you Sadiq Khan to Save London’s Nightlife.”
Shapes has rejected the suggestion that the closure was connected to an alleged rape that took place in March during Kinky Salon London, a private party that aims to create a safe space for attendees to socialise, dance and engage in sex and BDSM activities. The club says that in parallel with unethical pressure and unfair treatment from local government forces, “the police have used an entirely separate alleged incident to divert public attention from these real reasons for closure.”
It denies the police claim that the club had hampered the investigation by not providing CCTV footage from the night.
Glover handed over his licence ahead of a town hall meeting in July 26 after police called for the venue to be shut down. As reported by the Hackney Gazette, the police called for a licence review after the club, which has also hosted sets by Nosaj Thing and Perc, failed to deliver CCTV footage when requested. Licensing officer Sgt. Guy Hicks said the club’s reluctance to hand over footage led him to believe the cameras were not recording and added that the interaction gave him “serious concerns” about Glover’s management.
Earlier this week, Sadiq Khan urged Islington council to work with Fabric in the wake of its license suspension and closure threat, while supporters of east London’s Passing Clouds have been urging Khan to step in after it was reportedly seized by bailiffs.
