The Edinburgh Fringe show Dicing With Dr Death presented by Dr Philip Nitschke, which is about euthanasia, received a visit from the police today at its venue, Just The Tonic's Caves. According to a press release from organisation Exit, at 3pm on 5 August, PC Crichton of the Licensing Dept of Policing Scotland and an unnamed official from the Edinburgh Council visited the Caves to meet with Dr Nitschke, concerned that there was ‘legislation that may prevent’ Dr Nitschke (aka Dr Death) from using a ‘gas’ in his new Destiny machine as part of his show.
The visit (pictured) follows an initial phone call on Wednesday morning to Dr Nitschke from Policing Scotland during which Dr Nitschke was informed of complaints received from the ‘medical profession’. These ‘medical professionals had informed the Police that the administration of Nitrogen via nasal prongs could place ‘vulnerable people at risk’.
During the phone call, Dr Nitschke emphasised that Nitrogen is 80% of the air we all breath and as a non-toxic gas, is harmless.
During the Scotland Police visit and interview with Dr Nitschke at The Caves in the afternoon, the suggestion that breathing Nitrogen had been replaced by expressed concern from both the Police and the Edinburgh Council that a gas tap was to be used within one metre’s arm’s length of the general public. As such the venue may then be in breach of its licensing agreement as per Council Bylaws.
Speaking of the Police/Council visit, Philip Nitschke said ‘I found the interview, while friendly, a thinly veiled exercise in censorship. Once those who are driving this censorship realised that Nitrogen is a harmless gas, given it is 80% of the air we all breath, they shifted focus to Council bylaws’.
‘Frankly I’m a bit disappointed that both Police Scotland and the Edinburgh Council are so ready to do the bidding of the Christian Right who are doing everything to ensure that the show does not go ahead’ he said.
While Dr Nitschke may still use Nitrogen to power his Destiny machine, he will also use a cylinder of air and has promise the venue that the cylinder will not be within arm’s reach of the audience volunteer.
‘We thought it prudent to consider changing the gas mix to air. After all, who can argue with air?’ he said. ‘To deprive a member or indeed all of the audience of air would have catastrophic consequences that would not be of my making’ he said.
He said that by changing the mix he hoped to show how vexatious and without foundation the inquiries of the Council and the Police really were and wanted to question the real agenda behind their inquiries.
Dicing with Dr Death runs from Aug 6 - 29, details and tickets here.
