Freedom Bookshop Benefit - Brew Ha Ha Punk N Rave Night

bristol | community | feature Sunday February 17, 2013 11:30 by Raving punk

Freedom bookshop is the U.K.’s longest running anarchist bookshop and publisher. It was founded in 1886 and is currently based in Whitechapel, East London. As well running a bookshop and printing a monthly anarchist paper, “Freedom”, the collective opens it’s doors to a range of anarchist and anti authoritarian groups and campaigns for meetings and events.

Sometime after 4am on Friday 1st February, the Freedom bookshop and social space in London was firebombed, after persons unknown had forced open a locked metal shutter. Fire and water damage was considerable, but not terminal, and luckily nobody was hurt. Britain’s oldest, and probably largest, anarchist bookshop was up and running again within days thanks to an amazing response from supporters around London. The rest of the building is operating reasonably well, allowing the numerous groups who meet or have offices there to continue their work.

Many groups and individuals around the UK and beyond have provided support and solidarity, and there’s an ongoing series of fundraisers to help Freedom pay for repairs and replenish its stocks of books. There has been impressive international solidarity and a big shared effort to get the shop up and running again. With this gig we make our contribution to support Freedom and the solid work they do to promote anarchist ideas and action. If you are coming to the gig please give generously.

Solidarity with Freedom. They can burn our books, but our ideas are fireproof!