Some DJs were prevented from performing at Earth Garden this year. Photo: Tonio Lombardi

DJs guilty of drug-related offences may no longer be blocked from performing in public if talks between the Justice Minister and the police lead to changes in regulations.

Owen Bonnici said he had held talks with the police and the Attorney General to find a solution to the practice of blocking DJs with previous drug convictions from performing.

Five DJs were stopped from performing at the Earth Garden festival in June as the police refused to issue the necessary security clearance when their names came up on a drug offenders’ database.

Festival organisers lambasted the move, saying it had “humiliated” the performers and this only because of minor drug possession charges, some dating back to 20 years ago.

Asked why the police had stopped the DJs in question from taking part, Dr Bonnici said regulations governing permits for outdoor events gave the police discretion on whether to issue permits or not to performers.

This, he said, was aimed at “protecting vulnerable youths”. He added, however, that if the decision affected people who had been convicted of simple possession, including cases that had happened years ago, then there would be “legitimate concern”.

The minister said that he was not excluding reviewing police regulations on permits issued for outdoor events.

The promoters also complained that although the police had asked for the performers’ names weeks before the event, they had only communicated their decision to block certain DJs three days before they were meant to get behind the decks.

“A person’s livelihood is at stake. These performers have a right to perform. You can’t just tell them a day or two before that they can’t work.

“You wouldn’t do that to any other professional,” a festival spokesman said.

Questions sent to the police on the matter remained unanswered at the time of writing.