The Prefecture of Reggio Emilia has banned the holding of the Kanye West and Travis Scott concerts scheduled at the RCF Arena, a decision that risks definitively closing the chapter of the festival initially announced as Hellwatt Festival and then renamed Pulse of Gaia.
The provision was adopted at the end of a meeting in the Prefecture attended by the mayor of Reggio Emilia, the president of the Province, the police commissioner, representatives of the Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and Fire Brigade, as well as the top management of C.Volo and Coopservice. At the end of the meeting, authorization for the events was denied, effectively preventing them from taking place.
The decision comes after reports presented by Codacons and the Jewish Community of Modena and Reggio Emilia, but is based above all on assessments related to safety and the protection of public order. In a note, the Prefecture explains that it has taken into consideration “the close temporal connection between the demonstrations and the high influx of public expected within 24 hours”.
The cancellation of previous Kanye West concerts in other countries and the concrete risk of counter-demonstrations also played a role in the overall assessment, elements which led the authorities to express a negative opinion on the organization of the two live shows.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
