One of Europe’s largest clubs has been forcibly closed by authoritiesSektor909

One of Europe’s largest clubs has been forcibly closed by authorities

European club life has been feeling the effects of forcible shrinkage, the latest episode coming from police closure of Macedonian club Sektor 909. The club, which is one of the largest in Europe, opened in 2004 and has hosted the likes of Ben Sims, DJ Stingray, and Kirk Degiorgio. The house and techno haven is located in the Balkan country’s capital city of Skopje, and first got whiff of the latest wave of trouble with authorities this summer. Though the club’s license for its summer venue was still valid, it was revoked by local authorities. In a statement issued on the club’s Facebook page, Sektor 909 feels the closure is part of a larger plan to stamp out the city’s nightlife scene. Club owner Marin Basotov believes that Sektor 909 is being targeted unfairly:

“There has been only one solid reason to revoke the working license/permit of the club, and that is the distance of Sektor 909 to the closest inhabited block of flats,”However there are clubs that are closer to the flats, and they are still working. These clubs are run by people close to the ruling political party and so do not oblige to any rule or any financial inspection like the ones our club was having on a daily basis. We are not complaining, but we think that the laws have to be equal for everyone in this business.”

This is not the first time that Sektor 909 has had to relocate under dubious circumstances, nor is it the first time that political influence and nepotism have appeared to be the driving force.

“This is the second time where we had to change the location. The first time we got threats to simply leave a specific venue where we had invested and work with for two years as well. Just to mention that the block of flats was, and still is one of the biggest and the most illegal building built in town. However the owner has put lots of money into ‘legalization,’ just as he has into closing our club. Furthermore he is our competitor and his son owns clubs in the same area, so you do the math.”

The summer venue will be closed indefinitely, “until we find a better location for it, which can be a year or two or maybe even more.” The winter location is still in operation for now.

Via: Resident Advisor

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