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London Anarchist Bookfair 2023/24

So the Bookfair...

It was actually better than I expected in some ways, especially attendance which felt OK numbers wise, although as it was spread out over a few venues and different floors in the main stall venue it was hard to get a complete picture of numbers really.

It's hard to draw a clear position of it, but it did feel quite different to me; much more internally focused, younger and more sub-cultural, more trans/queer/disability visibility and stalls, and a vibe much more of anarchism as activism/rebellion rather than an outward looking and serious political movement.

The meetings reflected that too; nothing on the strike wave, nothing on the 'cost of living', nothing on climate change, one very poor meeting on Ukraine (and even that was internally focused). The 'old' bookfair had meetings with 100s of people on some big topics, speakers from important international struggles, that kind of thing. Very sad that's been lost.

It felt a bit tragic to me really, and emblematic of the wider shift politically in that scene. I'm not sure I'd bother going again.
I found it a bit depressing also. Looked very subcultural and I really didn't like the venue. I picked up the book I was after, and got one on Camillo Berneri's stuff I didn't know about so I guess it had its uses. Didn't go to any of the talks apart from my own one. Caught up with a few people and then got pissed at the Pride.
 
I went along. Was in a daze as had just finished a week of night shifts. The energy was a bit diluted being spread over several sites. I did not need the excercise involved in walking up and down Brick Lane.

Anyway there were books and stalls and nothing of interest to me. I missed the meetings in the afternoon. Did not feel like a confrontation so avoided the Ukraine meeting.

Went to LARC for a meeting there and left when Lisa was defending the attacks on ULEZ cameras.

Saw old comrades and that was great.

I was trying to work out who you might be in the Ukraine meeting!

It was disappointing tbh, about 30 people present, no confrontation really just a lame attempt at an 'intervention' by the ICC, a poor understanding by some of the anarchists of that (called them tankies), and a generally disappointing level of analysis or discussion, although the people running the workshop did make it clear it was just about supporting people. Tech problems with the speaker on Zoom didn't help, nor did the ICC's tone deaf way of doing something.
 
Let’s see if mastodon links work…



Did anyone speak to DaN?
 
Let’s see if mastodon links work…



Did anyone speak to DaN?
Yes. Even bought a book from him (not his). Seemed a good bloke.
 
Let’s see if mastodon links work…
My big take home from the Anarchist Bookfair yesterday was that most anarchists who don’t teach in conventional schools see the word “teacher” and (perhaps rightly) think “cop” 😂
I've always had the impression - teachers can doubtless correct me about this - that schoolchildren's tastes in fashion and music change by year group to some degree. I assume the same is true of schoolkid 'politics'. I was class of '71 and for some of us that was the year group of school 'radicalism' - Little Red Schoolbook, Schoolkids Action Union etc. Over the years I've met people the same age as me from elsewhere who had similar experiences. However I can honestly say that we didn't see teachers as 'cops'. We saw them as @&#$?&! :D
 
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Just had a look and seen that not only are they still going, in print and everything, but they seem to have what looks like a pretty complete online archive:
Indeed - but it's mainly of the textual content. Losing the illustrations and the impact of the design makes a considerable difference IMO. (Lots of FE's graphic elements were reprinted by other journals. The Cienfuegos Press Review comes to mind).
 
Just had a look and seen that not only are they still going, in print and everything, but they seem to have what looks like a pretty complete online archive:

I had loads of issues that I donated to the MayDay Rooms archive a few years ago.
 
Let’s see if mastodon links work…



Did anyone speak to DaN?
Link works for me Danny
 
I suspect the answer from the Bookfair group would be something along the lines of, 'Well, they weren't offered'. But it's a shit and lazy excuse, if you're putting on an event like this you chase people and get speakers in for things that are important, not just leave it all to offers or you'd end up with the program full of all sorts of random shit.

It's also probably in part that some of the people that would have run meetings like that don't see the Bookfair as that important anymore, so also don't offer to run a meeting.
Fwiw, I've just had a look at the lineup for The World Transformed. Don't want to get too starry-eyed about it, but their programme includes Strike Support Skillshare, Solidarity Across Borders, Mutual Aid: Food Redistribution, How to Organise Your Workplace, How to Win a Strike Ballot with RMT Activists, Policing the Crises: Austerity, Cops and Abolition, The Coming Climate Insurrection: Strategy and Tactics, Resisting the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities, How to do Direct Action in a Trade Union Campaign, Lessons From the Strike Wave, General Strike in France, How to intervene in Stop and Search, How to Stop an Immigration Raid, How to Run a Rent Strike, Your Renting Rights - And How To Use Direct Action To Defend Them, Cost of Living Assembly, etc etc. With anarchists definitely being involved in running a fair few of those sessions. Strange times when that kind of broadly Labour-linked event has so much more of a focus on direct action than the bookfair.
On the other hand, sounds like the Multi-species Perspective to Dismantling Borders talk at the bookfair would probably be a valuable corrective to my small-minded nationalist opinions on whether you should put raccoons on flyers.
 
Let’s see if mastodon links work…



Did anyone speak to DaN?
missed his stall but a pal sent me a tweet of his and his banner had some boasting about him being the strictest teacher in his school so not sure he can complain about ppl thinking he's a cop.
 
Fwiw, I've just had a look at the lineup for The World Transformed. Don't want to get too starry-eyed about it, but their programme includes Strike Support Skillshare, Solidarity Across Borders, Mutual Aid: Food Redistribution, How to Organise Your Workplace, How to Win a Strike Ballot with RMT Activists, Policing the Crises: Austerity, Cops and Abolition, The Coming Climate Insurrection: Strategy and Tactics, Resisting the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities, How to do Direct Action in a Trade Union Campaign, Lessons From the Strike Wave, General Strike in France, How to intervene in Stop and Search, How to Stop an Immigration Raid, How to Run a Rent Strike, Your Renting Rights - And How To Use Direct Action To Defend Them, Cost of Living Assembly, etc etc. With anarchists definitely being involved in running a fair few of those sessions. Strange times when that kind of broadly Labour-linked event has so much more of a focus on direct action than the bookfair.
On the other hand, sounds like the Multi-species Perspective to Dismantling Borders talk at the bookfair would probably be a valuable corrective to my small-minded nationalist opinions on whether you should put raccoons on flyers.
And a functional bar:

"Most importantly, you can catch up with old comrades over a cup of tea or a pint in the Black-E, where we'll be running our own bar and kitchen, and giving you proper space to connect, plan and celebrate"
 
Fwiw, I've just had a look at the lineup for The World Transformed. Don't want to get too starry-eyed about it, but their programme includes Strike Support Skillshare, Solidarity Across Borders, Mutual Aid: Food Redistribution, How to Organise Your Workplace, How to Win a Strike Ballot with RMT Activists, Policing the Crises: Austerity, Cops and Abolition, The Coming Climate Insurrection: Strategy and Tactics, Resisting the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities, How to do Direct Action in a Trade Union Campaign, Lessons From the Strike Wave, General Strike in France, How to intervene in Stop and Search, How to Stop an Immigration Raid, How to Run a Rent Strike, Your Renting Rights - And How To Use Direct Action To Defend Them, Cost of Living Assembly, etc etc. With anarchists definitely being involved in running a fair few of those sessions. Strange times when that kind of broadly Labour-linked event has so much more of a focus on direct action than the bookfair.
On the other hand, sounds like the Multi-species Perspective to Dismantling Borders talk at the bookfair would probably be a valuable corrective to my small-minded nationalist opinions on whether you should put raccoons on flyers.
Tbf TWT is a much better funded and staffed event, whereas I expect at the A Bookfair there is an open invitation to put on events from anyone who wants, rather than looking, booking and paying for them.
It does look good though. I wonder who went to it and how well attended it was, post corbyn
 
Tbf TWT is a much better funded and staffed event, whereas I expect at the A Bookfair there is an open invitation to put on events from anyone who wants, rather than looking, booking and paying for them.
It does look good though. I wonder who went to it and how well attended it was, post corbyn

But the 'old bookfair' used to have a bunch of events like that, not sure that's an excuse really, although I admit it makes it easier.
 
Wonder if the childcare happened at this Bookfair, it was vague on the website. The other Bookfair put lots of effort into having good childcare from what I remember.
 
Wonder if the childcare happened at this Bookfair, it was vague on the website. The other Bookfair put lots of effort into having good childcare from what I remember.
I saw a load of kids and associated stuff on one of the intermediate floors.
 
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