Protest planned against Ibiza’s club laws

Protest planned against Ibiza’s club laws

29 July, 2008 | 12.06PM

• Written by: Christen Reutens
• Filed under: Music News:

Clubbing doesn’t often get political but next Monday at 7 PM in Vara de Rey, Ibiza, a crowd of dance music fans is expected to take to the streets to publicly protest against what they say are oppressive new laws.

For the first time this year clubs in Ibiza have been banned from opening before 4.30 PM and must close at 6.30 AM, and the ban on afterhours clubbing has had a detrimental effect on the island’s club scene.

Visitor numbers are down, businesses are suffering, and with popular underground venue DC10 having been ordered to stay shut for 60 days, clubbers, DJs and some Ibiza business owners are very angry.

Some even believe their freedom is under attack.

The organisers of the protest are said to be a number of different people connected to the island’s club scene, as well as local business owners, and website Ibiza-Voice.com said the protest was a chance to “stand up, turn up and make some noise about the injustice and ignorance affecting our lives”.

The comments under the original post on Ibiza-Voice.com suggest that large numbers of people will turn up to the protest.

This comment was typical:

Jonson: “I work in the island every season since 8 years, I NEVER SAW IBIZA SO EMPTY… Shame on politics who dont have a clue about the island.”

No doubt, the Guardia Civil will be there too and things could get heated.

The location of the protest is the statue of General Vara de Rey that stands on the main street running through the center of Ibiza Town.

Whether the protest will force the government to rethink their club laws, only time will tell.

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