| Page: 1 | Rating: Unrated [0] |
The Rave Kommissionen
|
 Coolness: 127885
| As some of you might or might not know a number of dj's from Montreal were recently booked at a large trance festival in Stocholm Sweden. This week, 2 months before this festival was to take place, a sub factor of the Swedish authorities also known as the "rave kommissionen" pulled the plug on the entire event. Having been booked there a few times in the past I've seen first hand the shit the promoters and party goers have to go through and put up with to keep their beloved scenes alive. Swat gear laden police lines surrounding the dancefloor pulling out all party goers that look even remotely under the influence and subsequently incarcerated until a proper drug test can be administered, sometimes this process can take days. (testing positive in a piss test is considered, and penalised as "posession" ) The last event I played at there, the police found us using helecopters, luckly they were about 2 hours too late, everyone had left and we were busy cleaning up the field, but they were definately ready for battle. These promoters and party goers are some of the most hardcore muthafukkaz I've ever come across and get a massive props and a tipped hat from this end for keeping it real. Here is an exerpt from a text written about the Swedish drug laws and the methods they use to enforce them...
"In 1996 a special police squad was formed with the sole task of utilising the powers criminalisation of drug use gave them to hunt down drug users. Named the Ravekommissionen (Rave Squad) their job is to infiltrate raves, clubs and bars where it is suspected there may be drug users. Indicative of how Sweden regards drug users, the Rave Squad was one of the first police units to be given permission to test the new telescope clubs. The Rave Squad are trained to look for the signs of drug taking. Anyone they suspect may be under the influence of an illegal drug may suddenly find themselves thrown against a wall while a flashlight is shone in their eyes to look for tell-tale pupil reactions before being dragged away for compulsory blood tests. According to social worker Jan Quarfordt young people are nervous about how to behave. They must always be aware that they must not lick their lips or gesticulate or move in certain ways in case it is interpreted as a "sign" and they end up in a police cell. (Arbetaren no. 9 1998 ) Sweden must be the only country in the world where looking unduly happy, laughing or dancing too energetically can get you arrested, with the possible exception of some Islamic Fundamentalist states.
How the Rave Squad regard the people they apprehend was revealed in an internal police shift report obtained by a Swedish newspaper where people are routinely referred to as "junkie", "damned junkie, "junkie shit", "druggie", "damned druggie" "druggie rat", "druggie whore", "junkie whore" and "nigger kids" (Nojesguiden, 8.3.98 ) How the macho thugs of the Rave Squad see themselves was revealed by Prosecutor Stefan Bergman when he told Nojesguidens reporter that "The Rave Squad works exactly like the Vikings who headed their raids to wherever they expected to find something." The same newspaper article also reported that the Rave Squad have extended their activities to spying on private houses and hanging around in stairways where they listen at apartment doors for sounds of drug abuse (whatever that may be)."
the entire text can be found here: [ www.bobo.pp.fi ]
What we share here is a beautiful thing, let us not forget it. -Kalan |
|
 Coolness: 103455
| kalan bird everyone |
|
 Coolness: 75390
| That's fawking insane. |
|
 Coolness: 178765
| Fuck, that is revolting. Raving isn't only about drugs, it's about music and having fun... It's all a subculture they wanna stop. It sucks. Don't think it will work though. They can't stop people from having fun... Right?
Heck, I party sober and I get litterally high because of the music, with shivers and lost mind and all... How can they tell if someone is truly on drugs? |
|
 Coolness: 201345
| Like usual, the drug users ruin it for everyone |
|
Coolness: 75390
| I mean.. say what you want about drug users, in this case, their methods are WAY over the top. I mean, who cares if some kids are getting fuckt off their asses on whatever substance they can get a hold of? Are they hurting anybody? Not usually at a rave. Oh, by all means... the second one of them goes nuts and shoots a person, crack down on the fucker. But people shoot other people all the time, in fact, a good portion of the murders in North America stem from jealous rage/relationship problems, should they jump the gun and just outlaw relationships too? Drugs don't magically transform somebody into a criminal, anymore then any sort of legal vice does anyhow, like alchohol or gambling... I know a bunch of people who you could easily qualify as drug addicts who (other then the drugs) don't break any laws at all, and I know just as many people who don't touch drugs who are violent thieves... bah. The whole thing is ridiculous. |
|
Coolness: 201345
| Not really.. If one underage person ODs on something, just one person, that is enough to create a media frenzy against the whole rave culture. If it was all about the music, there wouldn't be these kind of problems. The drug use puts a big fat crosshair on the whole rave scene in the minds of the police and more conservative public. |
|
 Coolness: 92385
| aww, i was supposed to go to this :( ..luckily there's a party in Madrid at abotu the same time.
I have to agree with Scott.. it's true that the authorities are biased against ravers and raves but we can't pretent there is absolutely no reaosn for this, this is something that ravers have broughten upon themselves over the years. We always hear people say it's not about drugs and for a whole lot of us it isn't and even for the ones who do drugs it's not ALL about that so they say.. but you know as well as I do that when you walk into a rave most people are blasted.. so.. you know.. what people say about the scene not being about drugs is often hypocritical and it just doesn't add up to much in the end. It may not be "about" that but when 80% of the people are on pills no one can exactly back that up. If it's not about drugs and you're gonna complain about beign unfairly labelled.. than stop doign them. That's the only way to take the stereotype away.. cause right now the stereotype is just plain true. |
|
Coolness: 92385
| Personally I find the amount of drug use in the rave scene disgusting.. 12 year olds shoudl not be popping pills and 30 year olds should really not be popping pills. The rave scene can use some cleansing.. some more appreciation for music and less for drugs. I don't beleive the Swedish authorities are right in their appraoch though.. kids shoudlnt be charged for trying new experiences. I think everyone shoudl have the right to explore life and do whatever they want with it. We can't deny that their is a problem with drugs in the rave scene though. I've been in many scenes throughout my life and the drug use among ravers is much more rampant than with any other subculture and way more positively looked upon. |
|
 Coolness: 125545
| Fuck repression |
|
 Coolness: 221885
| thank god you didn't buy your ticket for this yet Kalan.. that would have sucked so much to get all the way out there for nothing, plus it would have cost you ,and all the other dj's from montreal a pretty penny to get there..
what a shit story though.. that sucks how the police don't mind there own business.. but then again, sweden is all about safty.. just look at Volvo.. :D |
The Rave Kommissionen
You must be logged in to post a reply.
