Theatre staff arrested in Nazi-themed protest

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/oct/12/alhambra-theatre-arrested-nazi-dunfermline

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Five theatre workers have been detained by police in Fife after posing with swastika flags from a production of The Sound of Music outside the local council offices.

The group, who are all employees of the Alhambra theatre in Dunfermline, were kept in cells at the local police station for five hours on Wednesday, while the theatre's owner, Bill Fletcher, who was in Edinburgh at the time of the incident, was summoned back for questioning. All five were later released without charge.

Fletcher explained that the act had been a "joke" protest against the "bullying" of council officials, with the intention of using the photographs in the theatre's forthcoming adult pantomime. The flags had just been used in the theatre's production of The Sound of Music, for a scene in which the Von Trapp family perform at a Nazi event in Austria.

Officers from Fife police saw the four technicians taking the photos on CCTV and put a stop to proceedings, leading them away in handcuffs.

Fletcher told the Scotsman: "We saw an opportunity to poke fun at the council and took it. These are not banned images and we were using the flag in a satirical fashion."

He continued: "It's a great pity that our attempt to have a joke at the expense of the council, in retaliation for years of bullying suffered at their hands, has turned out to have serious consequences for our staff."

Fletcher accused the council of giving preferential treatment to other venues in the area, saying the Alhambra was "one of only two theatres in Scotland to receive no council funding". Last month, he reportedly criticised the council for heavy-handedness after a table and chairs were removed from the pavement outside the theatre.

"We at the Alhambra, over the last six years, have had nothing but harassment from Fife council," Fletcher said. "We've brought a theatre to the town and they do everything in their power to cause us grief."

Steve Grimmond, Fife council's executive director of environment, enterprise and community, denied the rift, telling the Scotsman: "We recognise and value what the Alhambra theatre brings to Dunfermline and enjoy a good working relationship and regular contact with them. We are always happy to work with the theatre."

A spokesperson from Fife constabulary confirmed the incident, adding: "It was established that no crime had been committed."