Ghanaian owned nightclub extends licence

.... following suspension after 5 people were stabbed on violent weekend

Ghanaian owned Nightclub, Manjaro was closed after five people were stabbed in May.

A TOTAL of five people were stabbed over the weekend prompting Islington councillors to suspend the licence of a Holloway Road nightclub.

Manjaro’s nightclub, near Highbury Corner, was the scene of two separate stabbings which police believe were linked.

The first incident took place in the early hours of Saturday and the second on Sunday. Three men were attacked in the first incident and two people stabbed in the second.

At an urgent meeting of the council’s licensing committee on Monday, councillors agreed a request from the Metropolitan Police to suspend the club’s licence which means it cannot open for the next 20 days. Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk, the Lib Dem chairman of Islington’s licensing committee, said: “This council will not tolerate knife crime in our borough and we have acted quickly to stop the problems at this club.

“Residents tell us that knife crime is one of their top concerns. The suspension of Manjaro’s licence shows how seriously the council takes the issue of knife attacks.

“We will work with the police to take whatever action is necessary to rid the borough of the scourge of people carrying knives and we will use all our available resources to help the police solve these crimes.” Two of the victims from Saturday night’s stabbing remain in hospital and the third has been discharged. Of the two men stabbed on Sunday, one is still hospital.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the second stabbing. The club’s licence was been suspended until the council reviewed it in full on May 22.

Residents wishing to make representations about Manjaro’s licence should have contacted the council’s licensing section by May 5.

Comment: Last year 27 young black youth were stabbed on the streets of London. This year, already 27 young black people have been stabbed. It is hoped with the reopening of this Ghanaian club and the extension of the licence to 6 am, the police, licensing, people protection, parents and revellers will be vigilant to ensure the scenes in May are not repeated. Underage drinking, Fake IDs, excessive alcohol should be refrained from. The bar staff should be trained to spot any over-intoxication. In the run up to elections in Ghana, parents should ensure their children's safety by training them to avoid getting into heated arguments or too much alcohol. Too many of our young children have been maimed or glassed in their faces and other parts of their body, in London and other parts of the diaspora