Just Jam event at Barbican cancelled after "concerns raised by police"

Just Jam’s planned multimedia epic at the Barbican this Saturday has been cancelled.

Organisers from the East London web channel have released a statement saying they are “struggling to understand” the reason for the cancellation.

“We wanted to put on an evening celebrating a diverse range of electronic music and art and are very disappointed that concerns raised by the City of London police mean that the event has been called off,” they state.

“We’re struggling to understand why this has happened and will try to start a dialogue with the police so we can discuss whatever issues they have with Just Jam at the Barbican.”

The City Of London Police tweeted in response: “The Barbican, as a responsible venue has made the decision to cancel the Just Jam event following a dialogue with us regarding public safety”.

The event, which was set to feature performances by Omar Souleyman, Mount Kimbie, RP Boo and more, tied in with a series of creative workshops for young people held last week.

All ticket holders will receive a full refund from the Barbican. Payments by credit or debit card will be automatically refunded, and payments by any other method will be refunded by cheque.

Update: City of London Police have issued a full statement on the cancellation, pointing to the fact that alcohol would be on sale at an event that allowed entry to anyone aged 16 or over (pretty much like any gig, then) and the risk of overcrowding “if more people decided to attend than the venue could cater for”.

Here’s the police statement in full:

City of London Police understands the disappointment that people will have over the late cancellation of the proposed Just Jam event on 1st March but the force raised concerns regarding the management of the proposed event.

Officers expressed concerns based on a number of factors that could compromise the safety of people who planned to attend.

These included the fact that alcohol would be on sale at an event which would be allowing entry to anyone aged 16 or over.

Additionally, there were worries about the lack of adequate measures in place to address potential issues that might arise, including overcrowding if more people decided to attend than the venue could cater for.

Ultimately, after consultation the decision to cancel the event was taken by the Barbican as the venue.