New law will halt 'unsafe' concerts

Tough new legislation that will allow public authorities to cancel potentially unsafe concerts, was introduced in the Dáil yesterday.

The Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, said the legislation "will require promoters and organisers to demonstrate to the fire authority in advance, that they can run the event safely".

All deputies welcomed the legislation but Mr Bernard Allen (FG, Cork North-Central) said it was disappointing that it was 12 years after a judicial report recommended such a measure before it was introduced.

Mr Allen also expressed bafflement at the "peculiarities" of modern pop music events including activities such as "crowd-surfing, when a person is carried above a crowd; pogo-ing, jumping up and down in place; moshing; crowd surges; crowd collapses; crushes and provocative actions by performers".

Mr Allen said that "young people, including children, are being inundated with many persuasive influences". One of the most shocking, "was a catalogue by the toy-maker Lego, whose cover picture showed an easily discernible Lego character crowd-surfing in a stadium. This is a small example of what is being communicated to youngsters. It says that crowd-surfing is fun and the thing to do."

But the Green Party said Fine Gael should "get real". Mr Ciaran Cuffe (Green, Dún Laoghaire) said "Deputy Allen made moshing, pogo dancing and crowd- surfing sound as if they were unsavoury sexual practices rather than the natural tendencies of younger people".

He said that if Fine Gael had its way, we would all be sitting quietly tapping our feet at a James Last concert in the National Concert Hall rather than allowing young people to indulge in what they do best - enjoying themselves." He added, however, that fire officers or the gardaí "must be able to say at a moment's notice that a venue should be closed down and take effective action.

Ms Kathleen Lynch (Lab, Cork North-Central) welcomed the legislation and particularly the Minister's proposal to include events with fewer than 2,000 people.

People could be injured, or even killed in very small crowds.