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The dramatic decision by three councillors to close Fabric has split the Town Hall and provoked anger from Islington South MP Emily Thornberry, who said: “Closing Fabric is not the answer.”

The fightback against the council’s decision to revoke the licence of the famous Farringdon nightclub, where two young men died taking drugs, began yesterday (Thursday) as it emerged the venue will take the council to court.

At least three Islington councillors and Ms Thornberry have backed Fabric’s campaign, which will formally be launched on Monday.

Club co-founder Keith Reilly said yesterday: “If we don’t stand up for ourselves, we will be persecuted and harassed.”

Alex Proud, deputy chairman of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), which supports Fabric, confirmed to the Tribune last night that club bosses would appeal through the courts. “More details will be released next week,” he said. Mr Proud, who runs a rival club, has already donated £10,000 to the fighting fund.

The NTIA is seeking to raise £500,000 for legal fees. It is calling on its members, as well as the 150,000 people who signed a “Save Fabric” petition, to donate to the fund.

On Tuesday, councillors Gary Poole, Asima Shaikh and Flora Williamson decided to revoke the club’s licence after a six-hour meeting, with Cllr Williamson decrying a “culture of drug use” at the club. They took 90 minutes to reach their decision.

The review was called for by the Metropolitan Police after two 18-year-old boys died after taking the drug MDMA at Fabric this summer.

News of the licensing committee’s decision has shocked the clubbing world and beyond. Staff and supporters were in tears outside the Town Hall after the decision was read out at 1am on Wednesday.

NTIA chairman Alan Miller rallied the crowd, saying: “If it wasn’t for places like Fabric we would have none of our cultural assets – where we get inspired, where we fall in love. We are going to challenge this. It is unacceptable.”

Mr Proud called the committee’s decision “a disaster for London’s clubbing scene and our nightlife”, adding: “It hangs a great big closed sign to the world from Islington and London.”

In 2014, the Met unsuccessfully tried to have Fabric closed down following two drug-related deaths. The club later overturned security measures imposed on it – including ID scanners and sniffer dogs – in the courts, and it has been suggested that the police have been deter­mined to see the club shut since.

Ms Thornberry said: “I have been disgusted by the police’s attitude in this. The suggestion that Fabric should change its name and music was wrong. I mean, should there be an approved Met Police playlist, with Brian Adams or something?”

She added: “There is no room to be complacent about these deaths. However, the truth is that we are not going to stamp out drug use. We have to be realistic about this and I think Fabric has had good practice and has been better at this than other nightclubs. Closing Fabric is not the answer.

“A whole generation of young people across Europe have come to Fabric, and this is a generation that is hardly ever represented by politicians and it is our duty to represent their interests. We middle-aged politicians should try to understand it from the perspective of young people.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, club co-founder Cameron Leslie also turned his fire on the police. He said that since 2012 Fabric had assisted police with the arrest of around 80 drug dealers, but that only one was prosecuted.

“So perhaps if the police want to start levelling criticism of how these so-called safe havens exist they should start by looking at themselves and the Crown Prosecution Service, because these individuals come back the following week laughing at us,” he said.

Mildmay ward councillor Jenny Kay said she would be donating some of her councillor allow­ance to the club’s legal fund.

“I’m very sad about Fabric’s closure,” she said. “Sad for the job losses and how it will affect local businesses, but also what it means for cultural life in Islington and London.”

Green councillor Caroline Russell added: “The closure of Fabric is a huge loss for young people and Londoners across the capital, not to mention the 250 people whose jobs are at risk. I hope that a sensible solution can be found that keeps people safe from drug harm and ensures the future of Fabric as a centre of creativity and energy in our city.”

The club would have to appeal to the magistrates’ court to overturn the committee’s decision. Separately, it could appeal to the High Court to overturn the temporary suspension put in place last month, allowing them to open until an overall decision is made.

However, the longer a legal battle will last, the less likely it will be that Fabric will re-open, as it emerged that the club lost almost £400,000 in one month after it closed in August.