Fabric, a club located in London, has been shut down after two teenagers died of overdoses. The surprising announcement was made on Wednesday by the Islington Council, who took the opportunity to explain they revoked the license of the Fabric nightclub because it was not able to control the “culture of drug use” on the premises.
The closure comes after Fabric was temporarily closed due to the deaths of two teenagers – one died in June and the other in August. It has been confirmed that two clubgoers overdosed on MDMA that they purchased at Fabric. After the tragedies, Fabric presented their sympathies to the families and stated that it had a zero tolerance approach to drugs.
An investigation by the Islington Council came up with some damning evidence against the club. According to the authorities, undercover police learned that the patrons in the club were on drugs. They found out that there was little effort put into searching clubgoers for drugs before they enter the hot spot.
Furthermore, staff failed to intervene when they saw people in plain sight using illegal substances. The news of the closure of the nightclub was not well received. A petition was rapidly started and has gathered more than 150,000 signatures from music lovers and artists including Louisahhh, Ciara Haidar, Fatboy Slim, and Pete Tong hoping to stop the closure.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has also stepped out to slam the decision. He said the authorities and club owners must find a solution to save London’s nightlife. He said:
“London’s iconic clubs are an essential part of our cultural landscape. Clubbing needs to be safe but I’m disappointed that Fabric, Islington Council and the Metropolitan Police were unable to reach agreement on how to address concerns about public safety. As a result of this decision, thousands of people who enjoyed going to Fabric as an essential part of London’s nightlife will lose out.”
Khan explained that London had lost half of its nightclubs during the last eight years. A spokesman for Fabric expressed disappointment in a statement:
“This decline must stop if London is to retain its status as a 24-hour city with a world-class nightlife. Fabric is extremely disappointed with Islington Council’s decision to revoke our license. This is an especially sad day for those who have supported us, particularly the 250 staff who will now lose their jobs. Closing Fabric is not the answer to the drug-related problems clubs like ours are working to prevent, and sets a troubling precedent for the future of London’s night-time economy.”
Since its opening in 1999 near London’s Smithfield meat market, Fabric has welcomed over 6 million party people and hosted over 5,000 DJs and artists.