Liverpool Anarchists say: 'Have a happy bookfair!'

SHADES of  GEORGE ORWELL's 'MINISTRY OF LOVE'
by Brian Bamford

ARRIVING at the Black-E at 11,45am for last Saturday's Liverpool Anarchist Bookfair, I was greeted by the organiser 'Maria' of the 'News From Nowhere' Radical & Community Bookshop.  She set about scolding me saying severely:  'We sent you an e-mail and you can't attend!'  

Then up pops Pablito from Salamanca, who works in 'hospitality', who asks me 'Are you going to leave!'

I comply but only after noting down their utterances and swallowing a blood pressure pill.

As I picked up the bookfair program I observe on the front page the cheerful words 'Have a happy bookfair!'

Not so happy!

One of the local activists who came to address the talk on blacklisting at 3 o'clock, ended up saying that he would never attend an event 'like this again'.  

The spokesman from the Merseyside Trades Union Council, who came in a personal capacity to speak on blacklisting told me that he was 'disappointed at (the) lack of comradeship' at the event, and that regarding 'The individual concerned from the Blacklist Support Group' it was time to 'move on and make progress'.

The blacklist talk had been broken-up after a man was asked to leave because he supported Helen Steel in her dispute with the trans community.  At this point Pablito from Salamanca, as part of the squad for the defence of safer spaces, ended up with a kick in his backside flank. 

Others at the blacklist meeting complained that the bloke had been chucked out without proper consultation about the leaflet he had been distributing, and to which some people had objected.  The justification for excluding the individual was presumably rooted in the 'Safer spaces policy' of the 'Liverpool Anarchist Book Fair' which naively claims 'aims to be a welcoming, inclusive and safe space'.

What presents itself as a 'Safer spaces policy' is a charming catechism  which innocently enunciates a programme worthy of Big Brother and his thought policemen with beautiful elegance.  What is demanded in the text of this scheme is a censorship of language and thought such as Orwell's 'Newspeak' predicted in the 1940s.  

To survive the trauma of such linguistic cesspit one would have to bleach all natural thought processes of any original ideas to sink into the realm of stunted dialogue thus squeezing out all human passions and originality, for fear of making an odd unorthodox remark or stuttering some unintended outburst.  

Conversational Analysis of 'Safer Space' & 'Thought Crime'

A conversational analyst would be delighted with the text offered by the Liverpool Anarchist Book Fair 'Safer Spaces Policy'.  The text is rich in the straight-jacket of thought control.  

The 'Safer spaces policy' states 'Abusive, violent, threatening or harassing behaviour will not be tollerated'.

It then gives some examples:  'Oppressive language, literature or attitudes that insult, express prejudices or reinforce preconceptions about a group of people that are marginalised, disadvantaged or oppressed by mainstream society are not welcome.'

Then the organisers typically offer us a list of taboo topics:  'racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and classism' .

The dogma of what can only be defined as a totalitarian epistle to the glories of  'thought crime' is delightfully documented  in the final paragraph where it says:  'Don't make assumptions (based on, for example, race, pronouns, class, sexual orientation etc.)  
 

One would be tempted to say all this is characteristic of medieval thinking that one might find in the Catholic Church before Martin Luther to having wayward and sinful thoughts, but it is more totalitarian than that in that it seeks to extend its bans and gags in a style of Soviet proportions in which the required terminology may change from overnight if not sooner.

The Safer spaces document says 'we refuse to normalise prejudice, reinforce oppression or recreate hierarchies' but instead on the ground yesterday Pablito and Maria engineering an good impression of a Fred Karno's Circus or the Keystone Cops* with the thought-policemen / women / transgender / creatures or whatever wading-in to exclude folk without any fair trial or due process.  Where is the justice in that comrade Pablito (the hospitality worker) or Compañera Maria (from News from Nowhere bookshop)?  

Of course, justice is not what is going on here.  

What's going on?  Anarcho-Bossism!

What's going on here is 'Malas linguas' (bad mouthing); false accusations; victimsation and yes, if you like blacklisting.  We could call this anarcho-Bossism and Blacklisting.

At one point as I stood outside looking like a drowned rat in the Liverpool rain, Compañera Maria suggested I go a cafe to warm-up.  I told her that in Manchester we were used to standing in the rain on picket lines with Steve Acheson to combat blacklisting at sites like MRI (Manchester Royal Imfirmary) or Fiddler's Ferry.  She said this is not the same kind of blacklisting!  

I asked her to please explain how this differs from the blacklisting by the bosses?

Compañera Maria didn't reply but looked very uncomfortable.

Later Maria told Milan Rai, the editor of Peace News, that the Liverpool Anarchist Collective had decided to ban me because of an obituary I wrote in 2012 about the former AF member, the teacher Bob Miller in 2011, and something about putting Simon Saunders from the Morning Star / Freedom  in a neck-lock on the 22nd, June 2016, following having been dragged out of the Freedom Bookshop by him and Andy Meinke and then being pinned to the wall in Angel Alley by Compañero Saunders and ten other comrades. 

The trouble with this argument is that the original application to do a talk on blacklisting came from me as Secretary of Tameside TUC, and by banning me they Liverpool Anarchist Bookfair is blissfully unaware that it is blocking the participation of a North West trade union body.  In short, the Liverpoll Anarchist Bookfair Collective failed to cover itself with glory yesterday.

*  The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") were fictional, humorously incompetent policemen, featured in several silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917.

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HATE CRIMES' REPORT

by Martin Gilbert (31.12.2017)
 Editorial Note:
SINCE Martin Gilbert wrote this report on the Manchester Anarchist Bookfair at the end of December, the Anarchist Federation [AF] in London has fallen apart, and issued a statement on New Year's Day critical of many in its former leadership who have now left the AF party.  The Trans' faction having taken over the party are now denouncing these skedaddlers.  This curious coup by an exotic tendency has thrown into relief the serious intellectual and moral bankrupcy of affiliated anarchism.
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BRIAN Bamford has asked me to recall, to the best of my ability, the first five minutes or so of events around a Manchester anarchist book fair. That event was on Saturday 2^nd December 2017, held at 'The Partisan' Cheetham Hill Road.  I have added some back-ground information to that event, for clarity and to show that the incident was not unique or isolated.  I was in the company of Barry Woodling, Brian Bamford and Bob Crane.

Owing to past hate-filled incidents against Barry, and Brian we were all very uncertain about our reception at that book fair.  We all four met the previous evening to discuss our main purposes of that visit.  It was agreed that we were not looking for trouble of any kind.  We wanted to see the books and pamphlets on offer.  My suggestion was readily agreed to that we should try to negotiate with the book fair organisers about a better relationship between us.

Some years previously Brian had published (in my opinion) a highly insensitive obituary of Bob Miller [in Northern Voices No.12].  No apology was given in any form.   Bob’s widow Sally responded violently.  Soon after, at a London anarchist book fair Sally wrecked Brian’s stall, causing costly damaged.    Mr. Ilyan Thomas, a man in his 70’s was pushed to the ground by Sally’s supporters when he tried to intervene.   
For contemporaneous eye-witness report see:  

Www.fiveleavespublications.blogspot.com/2012/10/salad-cream-days.html

Subsequently, a book fair was organised in Manchester by the same anarchist faction that had supported Bob Miller and Sally.  They are now very small in number, calling themselves 'the anarchist federation'.   

 

Barry Woodling has long been a critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians on the West Bank and in Gaza.  On attending the Manchester book fair Barry was accused of being 'anti-Semitic' and man-handled out of the room at the People's History Museum.  The accusation was foolish, there being a vast difference between sympathy for victims of Israeli colonization and being anti-jewish.  It was merely an excuse to eject one who was and is a friend of Brian Bamford.  Also, Barry Woodling and I are of Jewish extraction. 

 

As we entered 'The Partisan', I was stood a little apart from my three other companions.   In that first five minutes Brian and Barry were not recognised immediately.  Peter Good, a long time opponent of 'Northern Voices' had his stall close to the entrance.  I believe that Peter Good signalled for Barry and Brian to be removed.  Barry called out that those who were pushing him were following orders.  Brian was then seized by young men half his age, as was Barry.  Bob Crane and I were untouched at that point.   

I immediately began explaining the vast difference between anti-Semitism and being critical of Israeli colonisation.  I am a public speaker with a loud voice.  I was then also similarly assaulted.  In this turmoil I glanced that Brian had been pushed close to Peter Good’s stall and happened to touch it.  Brian was pushed to the floor where he went limp as they carried him outside.  

A young man known as 'Veg' spoke at length with Brian and I, we were not provoked by his violently insulting language.  'Veg' seemed to know nothing about the long standing dispute between the handful of 'class war' supporters and those who are closer to our blog / 'Northern Voices'.  A main organiser of that event (who I only know as 'David-under-the-pavement') then wanted to talk with me.  He apologised for delay in contacting me about a matter of mutual political interest.  'David' then angrily asked why we had come 'where we knew we were not welcome'.  His tone gave no room for attempted negotiation.  It was all 'I will talk and you will listen'.  Days before this book fair I spoke with Chris Draper who is a long time supporter and contributor to our blog/ magazine 'Northern Voices'.  Chris complained that 'David-under-the-pavement' had accused him of threatening violence against him, a charge utterly without substance.

Eventually, Bob Crane was allowed to look at the book fair.  Later that evening he returned to 'The Partisan', where he got on quite well with other anarchists who were present earlier at the book fair.
 

On 4^th December, after the above events I received a phone call from 'David-under-the-pavement'.  He again asked 'why had we come…'   I argued that we had come to see a book fair and try to

negotiate/ explain past misunderstandings.   But this was a waste of time with him and his associates.  Abruptly I ended this conversation.
For more go to: Northern Voices: Alice-in-Wonderland 'Anti-semitism' Charge Against ... 

www.northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com/2012/12/alice-in-wonderland-anti-semitism.html

www.northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com/2014/.../banarchists-at-peoples-history-museum.htmt

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No Manchester Bookfair in 2015!

We spotted the notice below issued by David and 'Veg'

on the Manchester & Salford Anarchist Bookfair website.

The reluctance of the People's History Museum to provide

a venue to David and 'Veg' was known to us because of

difficulties with regard to the organisers of the bookfair

allowing free access.

No Manchester & Salford Anarchist Bookfair 2015
We’re sad to announce that there will be no Manchester & Salford Anarchist Bookfair this year (2015).
Our usual venue, The People’s History Museum, was not available and we were unable to find another suitable space that was accessible, affordable, big enough and available!
We hope to be back in 2016 if we can find a suitable venue.
If you are interested in getting involved in organising the bookfair please drop us an email:
manchester@bookfair.org.uk
Thanks
David and Veg
Manchester & Salford Anarchist Bookfair

BANarchists at PEOPLE'S HISTORY MUSEUM

THE busy business of banning Barry Woodling continued apace last Saturday at the People's History Museum during this year's so-called Anarchist Bookfair on the banks of the River Irwell.  The river is a 39-mile stretch of water that flows through the Irwell Valley in the North West of England.  The source of the river is at Irwell Springs on Deerpark Moor just north of Bacup.  The river forms a boundary between the great cities of Manchester and Salford.

Less great and more murky than the river itself is the politics of the Manchester Banarchists, who annually ban Mr. Barry Woodling from their midst at a now discredited annual event called the Manchester & Salford Anarchist Bookfair.  Though Mr. Woodling, who lives in Swinton, is of Jewish descent, he was first expelled from the Bookfair in 2012, when he was  accused of  being an 'anti-Semite' by one of the organisers of this event and seemingly 'banned for life'.  Although this has now been disputed, no-one will put a precise date on when he might be accepted as a good comrade again.

The Banarchists are committed to excluding folk like Barry for all kinds of reasons. 'Anti-Semite' was the first charge in 2012, but recently it has been claimed by Peter Good, a self-proclaimed professor of mirthology, who has had a stall at the bookfair for donkey's years, that Barry was somewhat intemperate in 2012 and indulged in altercations with various stall-holders.  Mr. Woodling denies this but has never been given the opportunity to put his side of the case because no proper case has been put forward by the organisers of this event.

Who are the organisers?

Well, it is not possible to identify the two main protagonists because they assume the titles 'David under the Pavement' and 'Meat and two Veg'. 

On Saturday various veteran anarchists like Ron Marsden from Didsbury, and a well-known senior fellow-traveller, Mike Ballard, from Chorlton, expessed their surprise at the continuing ban on Woodling.  Yet, the exclusion of Barry continues.

Who is to blame?

It seems that the management of the Museum were asked about their stand on this matter by other parties who happened to be at the event:  'Is Barry Woodling banned for life?' someone asked.

The Staff manager present said certainly not but was unable to identify any date in the distant future when Mr. Woodling would be allowed into the 'Anarchist Bookfair'.