On Saturday, I wrote this post suggesting that Tower Hamlets council leaders deliver an ultimatum to the owners of The Troxy in Commercial Road. I said that if The Troxy allows its venue to be used on June 20 for a conference featuring controversial Muslim clerics (an event that is likely to attract violence involving the English Defence League), then the council should refuse to put any of its (ie our) money their way for future bookings.
Well, good for council deputy leader, Cllr Josh Peck, who reads this blog. Here he is quoted in today’s East London Advertiser:
“This Islamic conference is not supported by the council and we call on the Troxy to call it off in the interests of public safety and social cohesion. If necessary, we will review our working relationship with the Troxy.”
As mentioned in my last post on this, The Troxy has signed up to the council’s No Place For Hate campaign. Here’s Will Poole, the venue’s operations manager, quoted in the latest edition of the council paper East End Life:
“To strengthen the Troxy’s commitment to the campaign we have added additional clauses to our venue hire contracts, with specific reference to hate crime.”
I’m trying to contact Mr Poole now for their latest position.
UPDATE – EVENT SCRAPPED
Will Poole tells me the event has been scrapped. He said: “We have cancelled the booking because we had signed up to the No Place For Hate campaign and we felt that some of the speakers did not fit in with that. We have lost the booking so we lose some money, but this was the right thing to do.”
Persuasion does indeed work.
Trial by Jeory 
[…] The art of persuasion, part 2 […]
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