TOP tourist attraction Alton Towers has been accused of attempting to “marginalise” the Asian community after they pulled the plug on an Asian concert at the venue.
Concert promoters R33ce accused bosses at the tourist attraction of attempting to “marginalise” the Asian community after it decided against staging the Nach Nach Live 2007 event this Sunday.
A spokesperson for Alton Tower however accused the promoters of failing to meet their obligations in the running of the event saying they were “reluctantly” forced to cancel.
The concert, which has attracted big-name stars including Lemar, Jay Sean and DCS, was expected to be held at Alton Towers this Sunday to coincide with the 60 year independence celebrations of India and Pakistan.
R33ce said they were left with a mountain to climb after bosses at Alton Towers decided to pull the plug on the concert just a week before the big day.
A statement released by R33ce said: “The event was originally to be held at Alton Towers, but was cancelled by the Alton Towers management for ‘technical reasons’ at the last minute.
“It was claimed that the promoters of the event, R33ce.com, had failed to meet contractual requirements, but this was hotly disputed, with many members of the Asian community upset at their treatment and Alton Towers’ unwillingness to discuss the problems.
“However, to ensure the event went ahead R33ce.com was able to arrange at the last minute a switch to Drayton Manor Park, with no change in the date of event. R33ce.com believe this proves that they were always in a position to meet their obligations and ensure a fun day out for the Asian community, and are disappointed that Alton Towers decided to treat the Asian community in this way.
“It is our view that the decision was solely taken in order to capitalize on the popularity of the event for their own personal gains and to marginalize the involvement of the Asian community”.
The statement also quoted Leicester councillor Parmjit Singh Gill who accused the tourist attraction of behaving in an “unbelievable and insensitive way”.
But Alton Towers spokesperson Liz Greenwood told The Asian Today they had no choice but to cancel the event.
She said: “We were extremely disappointed that we were forced to take the decision to cancel this event. Alton Towers is entirely professional and consistent in all its business dealings.”
“We have very positive working relationships with a number of promoters and event organisers, but in this particular case, R33ce failed, despite every support, to meet any of their obligations to us in running this event. For this reason, and this reason only, we were reluctantly forced to cancel it on Friday.
“Any suggestion that our reasons are anything other than purely commercial, we refute absolutely.
“The fact that R33ce have responded to this action with further threats of negative publicity is extraordinary for a professional organisation, and we believe simply underlines the common sense of our decision.”
She added: “Should there be any other interpretation of our actions surrounding this issue which is defamatory or libellous to our business, we are prepared to take appropriate action if required.”
