Form 696 campaign - signing up against racial profiling of gigs

This week I've signed a joint letter to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, along with a variety of other campaigners, politicians and musicians, against Form 696 - the Met's questionnaire for gig promotors, which is exacerbating institutional racism against musicians and music fans.

The open letter was organised by Sunny Hundal from Liberal Conspiracy, and follows on from a successful campaign to remove even more offensive questions, asking the likely ethnic profile of gig-goers, from the form.

However, Form 696 still asks intrusive questions about the genre of music to be played at events, which have already been seen to lead to discrimination against, and even the banning of, some events.

Along with my other half Jim's anti-filesharing nemesis Feargal Sharkey (Jim is head of the Open Rights Group, which urges a mature and human rights based approach to copyright issues, while Sharkey is head of UK Music, which wants to stamp out filesharing of all kinds), I was joined in the long list of signatories by luminaries including Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and my former London Mayor opponent Brian Paddick - who always crops up on the right side of these arguments.

Also signing up were Green London Assembly Member Darren Johnson and another LibDem, Hornsey & Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone.

The letter says:

“We write to raise our concerns over the Metropolitan police’s use of form 696 to collect information about, and in some cases restrict, live events across London.

“Form 696 has already been criticised by the music industry as an unnecessary piece of bureaucracy that will make it more difficult to hold small and impromptu live events. We are also deeply concerned that form 696 has the potential to be misused by the police to discriminate against ethnic minorities. The signs are not positive since the police have already indicated an interest in the racial profile of people attending.

“Though this question was removed after an outcry, the form still asks what music style will be performed (focusing on styles disproportionately popular with minorities), as well as its target audience.

“Anecdotal evidence already suggests that the Met is restricting events aimed at ethnic minorities and making it harder for Londoners to enjoy a diverse range of music.

“There is now the danger that police services across the country will adopt this measure and further entrench this illiberal and potentially racist practice. (One London council has already invoked prevention of terrorism in its licensing guidelines for live events.)”

Read the full version in the Guardian here

We're expecting an official response from the Met this week, so I'll be updating with more news on the campaign soon.