Ken Livingstone attacks 'divisive' concert law
Page last updated at 12:08 GMT, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 13:08 UK
Giggs says his tour this year was cancelled after he filled out the formKen Livingstone has attacked a police check form used by authorities in London, calling the way it was based on the ethnicity of a concert's audience "divisive" and "wrong".
Currently battling to be Labour's candidate for London mayor he said given the powers he would scrap the form if he returns to office.
He added: "You can't have a law on the presumption that one particular ethnic group is more violent than another.
"It's just wrong."
The form was designed to give police information about the nature and musical genre of a planned event.
It gives them the power to ask for changes or even to force the cancellation of events.
'Security fears'A spokesperson for London mayor Boris Johnson has responded to Livingstone's comments, saying there is currently a public consultation taking place surrounding culture in the capital.
They said: "As a committed supporter of live music in all its forms, it sets out his efforts to protect the capital's unrivalled live music scene against unnecessary regulatory policies, as well as practical measures to increase opportunities for people to play and experience music."
Police have previously told BBC Radio 1Xtra that the controversial form was necessary to prevent violence and keep crowds at gigs safe.
In May the Metropolitan Police's head of Clubs, Vice Detective Superintendent Richard Martin, explained the "two-page form".
"It asks for the details of the artist that's playing, details around the security that's being put on around the event, where they've played before and that allows us to search some databases, look at some intelligence and see whether there's any risk involved."
Ken Livingstone says the controversial police form 696 is "divisive".But Livingstone said: "Filling in a form never made anyone safe."
Police have denied claims that they were putting pressure on venues to keep grime and hip hop artists out of their line-ups.
Peckham rapper Giggs, who had his national tour cancelled earlier this year because of "security fears", accused the police of bypassing promoters and warning venue owners about revoking their licences if certain artists perform.
Livingstone, who was London mayor between 2000 and 2008, said: "I hope they get rid of it [form 696] before then because it's clearly injuring live music."BBC
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