Reports that SWP bookshop Bookmarks attacked

[emanymton]

Anyway, a better way of putting all that is that in the swp case it's about opposing the far-right/alt-right weirdos rather than, in this case, who their victims are.

Quite. This isn't an attack in tge SWP as the SWP. This is an attack on them as the most visible face of the left outside the Labour party.

 

[emanymton]

There might well have been a bit of over egging in the immediate aftermath.... Quite normal for people to over blow things when the adrenalin is pumping, and yeah it could've been a lot worse, but the scale of violence isn't the main point, it's a point of principle I think. Anyhow, im glad it's on the lower end of the scale. I think calling it play pretend fantasy is harsh

If they keep getting away with low level harassment shit, how long before they step it up to something more serious?

 

[ska invita]

If they keep getting away with low level harassment shit, how long before they step it up to something more serious?

True... Also there is a lot of aggro that shops like Bookmarks experience all the time that isn't newsworthy...

Gays the Word had their windows put through recently, but that happens too regularly

 

[The39thStep]

Again without wanting to leap to any conclusions ; Luke Nash- Jones latest post on his Facebook is about a children's book called My name is not refugee' which he's just seen apparantly . It happens to be sold by Bookmarks.

 

[bimble]

If you look under the 'beliefs' tab on that people's charter / mbga website whoever wrote it comes across like maybe they (once) spent quite a bit of time in that bookshop.

 

[emanymton]

Far-right protesters 'ransack socialist bookshop in London'

Made The Guardian.
Apart from confirming the police were called no new info .

 

[Ax^]

^ Holy fuck...how did he survive without Love Island?

Some of his fuckwit supporters swarmed a communist bookshop...



"you fucking Jew hater" ...wtf?

*stolen from the TR thread

looks like it was MBGA

 

[bimble]

What a bunch of utter idiots . Well that’s that mystery solved cos they had to upload the video

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I was going to say it was probably FLA but now I see the video they look a bit fringe for that - maybe one or two of them are.

MBGA is more of an organising nexus than anything IMO though I could be wrong.

I said after the last Free Tommy march that getting away with shit (which they did) would lead them to escalate (which I think it has).

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Obviously all thick as pig shit - could have been a comedy until it started getting nasty.

 

[Red Sky]

*stolen from the TR thread

looks like it was MBGA

I'm not usually one for assuming the far right are thick but in this case..jesus.

 

[Ax^]

it include people that are on a video on the front page of MBGA website





lets hid our badges and caps but post a video on youtube

 

[PaoloSanchez]

I've "debated" RED CAP BOY a few times at Speakers Corner. He's not very bright. The last time I was there he got escorted from Speakers Corner for flying a Trump flag and complained about "freedom of speech".
Apparently he's autistic.

 

[The39thStep]

I was going to say it was probably FLA but now I see the video they look a bit fringe for that - maybe one or two of them are.

MBGA is more of an organising nexus than anything IMO though I could be wrong.

I said after the last Free Tommy march that getting away with shit (which they did) would lead them to escalate (which I think it has).

Dont think there is any FLA there , the gobshite filming it and verbally coming over all hard is - Mark Martin ( Buska In The Park). Its just a rag taggle of middle class UKIP and some other misfits. Hardly escalation imo more like a stunt after a few pints of dutch courage shandy. In my day some of the local SWP members and their mates would have simply gone round where these people live work and shop and terrorised those involved .

 

[The39thStep]

I'm not usually one for assuming the far right are thick but in this case..jesus.

Drink had been taken

 

[Patteran]

“A single sentence will suffice for modern man. He fornicated and read the papers eats crisps & looks himself up on twitter'.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Dont think there is any FLA there , the gobshite filming it and verbally coming over all hard is - Mark Martin ( Buska In The Park). Its just a rag taggle of middle class UKIP and some other misfits. Hardly escalation imo more like a stunt after a few pints of dutch courage shandy. In my day some of the local SWP members and their mates would have simply gone round where these people live work and shop and terrorised those involved .

I mean escalation in the sense that no way would they have done that a while back. (On reflection I agree that probably no actual FLA there.)

 

[Yogibear]

To be honest, it is a really good 'Trot Bookshop' and the staff are always accommodating & helpful !

I'll take your word on that mate because I've never been there and I'm sure never will. The point I was making is that the swp would not be rushing to offer solidarity to other leftist, independent or anarchist bookshops in similar circumstances, well not unless they could score some political points out of it in their various publications. I see the whole thing has really come to nothing other than a couple of idiots shouting their mouths off and kicking over some newstands. It's a shame to say but that's what people working in shops, railway stations, and anywhere groups congregate have to deal with on a regular basis. Now if they had petrol bombed the bookshop I may be showing some solidarity.
BTW cheers for wishing me banned ska i. There's always someone who wants to ban other people isn't there.

 

[Grump]

What interests me about this whole thing is how it illustrates how politics have shifted over time. When I saw the original report I immediately started thinking along the lines of what I experienced in the 80's, assuming this was a gang of nazis piling in to smash up the bookshop and batter staff and customers. However it looks more like the stuff that 4chan and the alt right do, the Kekistan, Pepe the frog wind up of the left. That sort of activism has drawn in a lot of support to the right who would not dream of getting involved in traditional street thuggery.

 

[Rob Ray]

A little more info in the Morning Star report:

Mr Mortell told the Star today: “There were 12 or 13 of them. One of them was wearing a Donald Trump mask.

“They were chanting stuff about Muslims. Then they smashed our book displays. We have magazines from Unite Against Fascism. They ripped up the magazines and threw them around the shop. They made threats to return and ‘show what they can do.’

“Seven or eight of them were well-dressed, the other four of them were more like boot-boys. I recognised one of them. He’d been in a couple of weeks earlier and had shouted racist stuff.”

 

[The39thStep]

I mean escalation in the sense that no way would they have done that a while back. (On reflection I agree that probably no actual FLA there.)

Well they wont be doing it again. I just think it was just an alcohol inspired how can we make a name for ourselves high jinx gloriously caught on camera. I wondered why Luke Jones had posted some gibberish conspiracy theory stuff at 0345hrs on his Facebook page. He probably hit the bottle worrying about whether or not he'd be entitled to a TV if he were jailed.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Apparently he's autistic.

I fail to see the relevance of this.

 

[Red Sky]

Drink had been taken

Video's been tak

Well they wont be doing it again. I just think it was just an alcohol inspired how can we make a name for ourselves high jinx gloriously caught on camera. I wondered why Luke Jones had posted some gibberish conspiracy theory stuff at 0345hrs on his Facebook page. He probably hit the bottle worrying about whether or not he'd be entitled to a TV if he were jailed.

They've taken the video down. Plenty in that for Inspector Knacker if he so chose.

 

[juice_terry]

It was hardly a big bad gang of jackbooted fascists with links to football hooligans etc it was a bunch of cosplaying alt right fuckwits.. it was hardly Kristalnacht 2 FFS



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[Treacle Toes]

They've taken the video down. Plenty in that for Inspector Knacker if he so chose.

I imagine it was already downloaded a fair few times before they took it down. What absolute idiots.

 

[Red Sky]

It was hardly a big bad gang of jackbooted fascists with links to football hooligans etc it was a bunch of cosplaying alt right fuckwits.. it was hardly Kristalnacht 2 FFS



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Is anyone saying it was?


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[juice_terry]

Is anyone saying it was?


Sent from my Enigma Engine using Morse Code

Read the earlier posts on this thread alone .. then half the hysterical posts on Facebook had it down as a return to the 70s NF attacking bookshops etc

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[PaoloSanchez]

I fail to see the relevance of this.

Well his mate (Buska in the Park aka Mark Martin) that was filming appeared to believe it was relevant and repeated several times "he's got autism", "he is a vulnerable person" etc if you watched the vid.

 

[Treacle Toes]

First thing first. The person holding the camera/phone needs his batteries removing. 'Look at this one, look at this one...you Jew hater! OMG! You Jew hater'

 

[LDC]

Yeah, not an 'attack' to be worried about post-event for us on here, but can imagine it was a bit more nervey if it was your quiet afternoon working in the shop that was suddenly interrupted by that.

It might be nothing more than a few idiots after a few pints winding each other up to do something 'daring' that comes to nothing, or it might slightly embolden other more handy groups to think they can do better and then try and prove they can.

Either way, it needs stamping on hard and fast, and solidarity needs expressing with those that this kind of thing happens to, whether we like them or agree with them politically or not.