Dear Indymedia Folk,

Small festivals and community run arts and music events are under threat from the association of chief police officers (ACPO) and we need your help!!

Around the country police forces are beginning to implement the ACPO guidance on charging events, in practice this means that any event, even community run and charity events, with a few stewards, some stalls and a music license are now liable to be slapped with a HUGE bill for the policing costs. This is threatening the future of a large number of the small festivals we all know and love, these events are often run by volunteers on shoestring budgets and they simply can't afford it.

We urge the government to defend the future of these events and stop these unfair charges.

Please sign the petition online at

 http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/communityevents/

and join the facebook group at

 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76854665212&ref=mf

Cheers

Ozzy

Campaign to defend community events

PS. and if you think the police are running this protection racket because they are short of funds they clearly aren't, cambridgeshire police spent £82,000 of taxpayers money on a self help guru...  http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/displayarticle.asp?id=434086