Pengamen Di London Protest Karena Laranan Bermusik Di Jalan

Pengamen di London dilarang aktivitasnya (unsplash)

JAKARTA - A group of buskers gathered at Leicester Square located in London, England on Wednesday, April 16, to commemorate their last day allowed to appear on the streets.

This is part of a protest against a noise reduction order from a judge to the Westminster City Council, which calls the music the street singers play on Leicester Square a legal nuisance and similar to psychological torture.

The noise reduction warrant will be implemented with a ban on busking at Leicester Square starting today, Thursday, April 17.

The Musicians have called this ban an unfair act, considering that buskers always try to comply with a very strict licensing scheme.

According to a BBC report, union members urged the Council to appeal the decision.

A union member and representative from the Westminster Street Bus Association (WSPA) said he was empathetic with people who were victims of unnatural noise due to the music that buskers played. But he insisted that street buskers have provided entertainment, reduced crime rates, and brought in more tourism and business to various city areas.

Meanwhile, Simeon Scheuber-Rush as London Regional Official for the Union Musicians believes that musicians are dedicated to their expertise and don't want to be considered a nuisance.

He said that union members wanted to work collaboratively and friendlyly with the Council to address any problems that arose.

Meanwhile, the suspension is planned to apply to all licensed and unlicensed street buskers at Leicester Square. Anyone who violates the new rules can face a legal process, which includes fines, confiscation of equipment or lifting of the busking license.

On the other hand, a member of the Labor Council Matt Noble said that street buskers are not prohibited throughout Westminster.