Call for stricter vetting of speakers at Glastonbury Town Hall
By Laura Linham
26th Jul 2024 | Local News
![King criticised the current booking process at the town hall (File photo) King criticised the current booking process at the town hall (File photo)](https://storage.googleapis.com/nub-news-files/nub-news-file-storage/572530/conversions/Qt5VeDa5u1Sy0kOlQEcq5HcPwizJhv-metaMnl6Nlc5UmZtTnBNNkk4bktGVTJ2ZWxRSkpGMVBqLW1ldGFkRzkzYmkxb1lXeHNMVEV3TWpSNE56RXhMbXB3Wnc9PS0tYXJ0aWNsZS5qcGc%3D--article.jpg)
A call has gone out to town leaders asking them to be more particular about who they allow to hire the town hall.
At a recent council meeting, activist Emma King requested tighter controls following an event by new age influencer Sacha Stone, which left some locals seeing red.
Sacha Stone is a British New Age influencer and conspiracy theorist who has sparked controversy with his promotion of the debunked 5GBioShield, the founding of The International Tribunal for Natural Justice (ITNJ), and spreading various conspiracy theories, including anti-vaccine claims and the dangers of 5G technology. He has made antisemitic remarks, positing that humanity is ruled by elite "Hidden Masters" such as "the Illuminati" and "the Babylonian blood-cult." Stone supports discredited individuals and ideas through his events and platforms, including the New Earth Festival and misleading documentaries, raising concerns about his influence and the spread of misinformation.
King criticised the current booking process at the town hall, highlighting its lack of rigorous checks and pushing for policy changes to shield residents from fraudsters and harmful influences.
She didn't hold back, branding Stone a "scam artist" for his infamous 5GBioShield, debunked by British Trading Standards. King also hit out at his recent ventures, like the $10,000 "golden tickets" to a NewEarth Project micro-nation in Tennessee and an overpriced life extension supplement.
"We need to make sure that we're not platforming hate in the town hall and in town. But the fact is that it sets a very, very bad precedent for the town as a whole and for the town council if we are allowing the town hall to be used in that sort of way to platform that type of person," she told the meeting.
Updating the council, town clerk Conor Ogilvie-Davidson said: "The property and assets committee agreed an updated Town Hall booking policy, which has been in use since its approval. The policy was approved by the property and assets committee and has been in effect since then.
"Given the concerns raised during public participation, I recommend that the property and assets committee review this policy at their next meeting to consider what can be done to address these issues. It is difficult to predict exactly who will be speaking at events since bookings are sometimes made under different names, but the committee can look into ways to improve our vetting process. We will include this matter in the agenda for the next property and assets committee meeting to ensure it is thoroughly examined and appropriate measures are taken."
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