A MUSIC promoter has launched a petition to change an old Jersey law after it stopped an event from being held on Good Friday.
Islander Robin O’Toole, of Forgotten Forest, said the organisation’s Malice in Wonderland party at L’Auberge Du Nord in St John – which included two headline acts from the UK – had to be rescheduled to Sunday, after it was discovered that the 1974 licensing law prevented them from hosting music and dancing during the religious holiday.
Mr O’Toole said the law, which also prohibited cinemas and theatres from opening on the day, was ‘outdated’ and needed to be updated ‘for future generations’.
‘We were selling tickets and it was going really well, but then we started to hear murmurs from people about whether it could go ahead.
‘Through the grapevine we found out there was no dancing allowed on Good Friday and discovered this old Jersey law basically confirming that it couldn’t take place.
‘We have been doing events for a long time and this is the first time we had ever heard of it. We had never held an event on Good Friday before otherwise we might have encountered it. It is a very niche law – maybe older generations might have been aware but most of the population probably hasn’t heard of it,’ he added.
Organisers of the event have launched a petition – which can be found on the gov.je website – calling for entertainment venues to be allowed to open and trade as normal on Good Friday.
‘I hope that it will be seen as a positive step in the right direction for both Islanders and business owners. It is 2022, so we should at least give people the option to go out and dance [on Good Friday] if they want to,’ said Mr O’Toole.
Commenting on the petition, Assistant Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said: ‘It is definitely worth having a conversation about it – of course Good Friday is a very important day for many Islanders and that can’t be overlooked.
‘I think whoever is elected as Economic Development Minister [after the June election] should definitely have this on their radar.’
He added: ‘The important thing is that any changes that might be considered are subject to extensive consultation and debate.’
