London Anarchist Bookfair 2022

[Fozzie Bear]

It would appear to be a page by Very Online people.

Given that a reasonably prominent London trans anarchist who was active in the 1980s* is slagging them in the comments for anonymously shit-stirring about unnamed people immediately before the bookfair, I think most of us can rest easy.

*I once clambered up onto the plinth of Nelson's column to give them a magazine, in fact.

 

[kenny g]

Are there any details anywhere about the Martin talk at LARC?

 

[kenny g]

ETA found it. 6pm at LARC.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Good to see at least one young chap wearing a balaclava.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Shout out also to Bishopsgate for pulling out some stone cold classics from their voluminous archives.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Outside the Bookfair update:

ACG
ICC
Queer Feminist Artists

 

[danny la rouge]

Oh is it today? And they didn’t postpone out of respect?

 

[Wilf]

Outside the Bookfair update:

ACG
ICC
Queer Feminist Artists

And me, at the moment (having a brew, not banned).

 

[DaveCinzano]

Good to see at least one young chap wearing a balaclava.

Shielding

 

[hitmouse]

Outside the Bookfair update:

ACG
ICC
Queer Feminist Artists

SPGB RIP? Also, what did QFA do to end up on the naughty step?

Oh is it today? And they didn’t postpone out of respect?

If I was a bitter, mean-spirited person who liked to make snide digs, I might point out that, at the time of the kerfuffle that led to the demise of the previous anarchist bookfair, there was that open letter that had, as its first demand, "To change the date of the LABF in future years so it does not clash with the United Friends & Family Campaign Annual Demonstration and to actively promote attendance at the annual UFFC March." And, five years later, here we are, with the shiny new improved anarchist bookfair taking place on the same day as a major protest against a police killing. Not really having a go at the organisers for that, just reflecting on the fact that organising major events is actually quite hard and maybe it might possibly be counterproductive to denounce organisers for crimes such as not being able to find a perfect date when nothing else important is happening in London?

 

[AmateurAgitator]

A friend of mine attended the bookfair today, said you could smell the liberalism and that there was alot of lifestylist types there. He actually doesn't much mind the lifestylism thing, though he sees its limitations, but its not really my thing. I'm glad I didn't bother going tbh. He also told me that he heard about a hateful flyer or something circulating about Martin Lux and Lisa McKenzie - saying that they are anarchists from the 1980's who've 'had their way for too long' or something and 'need to be stopped, with violence if necessary.'

Crazy stuff if that is the case but no doubt Martin and Lisa won't care one bit.

 

[danny la rouge]

The little splatter of blood at the bottom does look like a threat to the dreadful old outdated fake anarchist gate-keepers blah blah...

View attachment 342596

A friend of mine attended the bookfair today, said you could smell the liberalism and that it was all very lifestylist types there. I'm glad I didn't bother going tbh. He also told me that he heard about a hateful flyer or something circulating about Martin Lux and Lisa McKenzie - saying that they are anarchists from the 1980's who've 'had their way for too long' or something and 'need to be stopped, with violence if necessary.'

Crazy stuff but no doubt Martin and Lisa won't care one bit.

Would it be a hard copy of the above?

I hadn’t realised Martin or Lisa did “have their way”, to be honest. They’re certainly not leaders of anything, self-proclaimed or otherwise.

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Would it be a hard copy of the above?

I hadn’t realised Martin or Lisa did “have their way”, to be honest. They’re certainly not leaders of anything, self-proclaimed or otherwise.

Yeah that must be it. I heard it was supposed to be aimed at Martin and Lisa, thats the theory.

 

[LDC]

The idea that some 'old guard' from the '80s/'90s or whenever is somehow gatekeeping the 'movement' and preventing widespread involvement by THE BLACK AND ASIAN COMMUNITIES, WOMAN, TRANS AND LGBT+ COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS WORKING CLASS COMMUNITIES is honestly quite deluded and paranoid.

It's one of the most incoherent and nonsense leaflets I've seen.

I'm sure all that type of anger and rage used to be directed in some sort of focused way, it does seem now people go off in all sorts of directions, as much towards their own as anywhere else. It's all a bit Four Lions 'blow up the mosque'. I know it's not unproblematic to say this, but imo some of this lot are actually deeply messed up, and because of that have maybe lost a bit of a sense of politics outside their incoherent rage and own traumas. I'm willing to bet in 10-20 years mostly they'll look back at that leaflet and cringe at themselves.

 

[brogdale]

A friend of mine attended the bookfair today, said you could smell the liberalism and that there was alot of lifestylist types there. He actually doesn't much mind the lifestylism thing, though he sees its limitations, but its not my thing at all. I'm glad I didn't bother going tbh. He also told me that he heard about a hateful flyer or something circulating about Martin Lux and Lisa McKenzie - saying that they are anarchists from the 1980's who've 'had their way for too long' or something and 'need to be stopped, with violence if necessary.'

Crazy stuff if that is the case but no doubt Martin and Lisa won't care one bit.

"need to be stopped, with violence if necessary"

FFS; twats

 

[charlie mowbray]

That was my last London Anarchist Bookfair. I won't be going again.

 

[Red Sky]

That was my last London Anarchist Bookfair. I won't be going again.

I say that every year too

 

[charlie mowbray]

With me it's for real.

 

[LDC]

How come charlie mowbray? I haven't been since the 2017 debacle, but was intending to go this year but was ill so couldn't. After seeing that leaflet I was in part pleased I couldn't go!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I didn’t get many books but did see some great people.

The tour of the archives with Stef Dickers was excellent and included the minute book of the First International and a Suffragettes tea set along with some very funny stories.

 

[Red Sky]

Not a terrible event, but quite sceney.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

There were more stalls than usual of an “insurrectionary” nature, as well as what I guess you would all herbalists and arty types.

No AK Press or Haringey Solidarity Group.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Not a terrible event, but quite sceney.

Yeah that’s about the size of it really.

 

[LDC]

Very strange that all those Bookfairs for decades run by the gatekeeping anarchist cliche keeping all those people away were so much bigger and had wider attendance than this one? And this one didn't seem to meet those demands made by the letter hitmouse posted above either. Fuck all chance of them having any reflections on these things though...

 

[Red Sky]

Yeah that’s about the size of it really.

Must be getting old and grumpy but the Euro punk antics outside Bishopsgate were pretty embarrassing.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Must be getting old and grumpy but the Euro punk antics outside Bishopsgate were pretty embarrassing.

Ah I missed that, but hard to disagree.

LDC it's hard to gauge attendance by punters because it was split over three sites. But I left at 1:00ish and it did seem quieter than previous ones. And obviously there was no huge influx of BAME people that I noticed or the other marginalised people who have apparently been gatekeeped out of the event previously.

I can't remember all of the many demands but Active weren't displaying their banner about religion.

Also I was genuinely excited to see Selma James on the list of speakers but an afternoon in the pub was more tempting.

 

[DaveCinzano]

the Euro punk antics outside Bishopsgate

Pray tell

 

[Red Sky]

Pray tell

Nothing that exciting, just cosplay drinking and being "outrageous"

 

[The39thStep]

Must be getting old and grumpy but the Euro punk antics outside Bishopsgate were pretty embarrassing.

you've always been grumpy tbh

 

[Red Sky]

you've always been grumpy tbh

Fuck off, ray of fucking sunshine me.