Sheffield Anarchist Bookfair Photos

it's a shame that the presence of 'alternative' bookshops flogging their pricey books overshadowed any signs of anarchy actually being put into practice at the book fair. seemed like the day was more of an excuse for groups to flog their merchandise and extend their mailing list than to share books and ideas.

"it's a shame that the presence of 'alternative' bookshops flogging their pricey books overshadowed any signs of anarchy actually being put into practice at the book fair. seemed like the day was more of an excuse for groups to flog their merchandise and extend their mailing list than to share books and ideas."

I know, they didn't smash a single window! Just held meetings about what anarchism is, and about the social centre movement, and security online, whilst talking to NEW PEOPLE WHO AREN'T EVEN ANARCHISTS!!! And even charging MONEY to pay for the costs of printing and transporting books that explain anarchist ideas in greater depth!!!

Truly, truly shocking.

Unforgivable.

it's a shame that the presence of 'alternative' bookshops flogging their pricey books overshadowed any signs of anarchy actually being put into practice at the book fair. seemed like the day was more of an excuse for groups to flog their merchandise and extend their mailing list than to share books and ideas.

How could "anarchy be put in practice at the bookfair"?! It's a bookfair, not a revolutionary situation with workers' councils springing up internationally. Was well put on I thought. I am always put off by some of the stuff at these bookfairs: you always see some primmo/green bullshit and other stuff. But went well I thought.

you are quick to jump to the conclusion that i have some warped, stereotypical view on anarchism, i just thought that because it seemed like the standard price for even small pocket sized books (rather than zines, pamphlets etc) was about £20, some kind of book swap might have been a good idea to spread ideas without restricting those that don't have a lot of money.

 http://underclassrising.net/anarchism/index.html some basic text to Anarchist thought, we would agree 20 pounds a time is a lot, plus the location of The Book Fair a nightclub means the working class would have been displaced, good for it happening mind, but if you want cheep radical thought give these guys a visit...

Rare & Racy
 http://www.rareandracy.co.uk
164-166 Devonshire Street
Sheffield, South Yorkshire S3 7SG
0114 270 1916

This a true independent book shop, the former Sheffield Independent Book Shop is no longer, it is now a star- bucks, you could also try

Central Library Surrey Street, Sheffield S1 1XZ - 0114 273 4747
Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm

Go to there archive and ask for The Sheffield Anarchist first printed in Sheffield 1891, it has come and gone over the years, from 1994 to 1999 you all so had Collectabelanorack see  http://selfliberationfront.wordpress.com/ for where this was coming from, it become various projects leading to  http://underclassrising.net

You have nothing to lose but your bad debts and false aspirations, truth has never been anything but ugly this why is we live in denial that civilisation is working if only we could reform this world that is the real true aspiration, why should we be asked to pay the debt of the past mistakes? underclassrising are a group that includes revolutionaries, artists, losers and heroes.

Anarchy is alive and sometimes kicking in Sheffield, and we welcome (if not the first book fair) in Sheffield for some years, yes a shame some was excluded due to price of book and access along with other reasons and get there thugs to make shure some did not attend is not progresive or forword looking we had no intreast and had other things to be doing see

 http://underclassrising.net/reports and this is not just propaganda for underclassrising we want to show there are other anarchist active in Sheffield, this is all so an open door

It’s a DAVE NEW WORLD out there where my exhaustive research shows that 18 out of 23 cabinet ministers are millionaires!

Inequality the gretest since slavery………19 Prime Ministers from Eton……….18 Oxbridge in cabinet………..‘When will we awake from our long deep sleep’ George Orwell.

Britain is the most class ruled society in Europe – we’re almost back to serfdom! Who’s up for a CLASS UNITY CLASS PRIDE FUCK THE OXBRIDGE ELITE march then? They all hang out at Rowley Leigh’s CAFE ANGLAIS restaurant in Whiteleys in Bayswater. There’s even a separate entrance for the toffs! Maybe we should turn up at the servants entrance?

Any one for some ANARCHISM?

'the location of The Book Fair a nightclub means the working class would have been displaced'

Sorry but what the fuck? I presume that I read this wrong or that it is a mistype because who seriously thinks that working class people would feel out of place because a night club is being used as a venue? Do you think working class people don't like clubbing or something?!

Good work to the peeps that managed to put this event on!

One it is on a back street, and fair point if you are young into going out, but lets be frank if this is all you can pick upon, and make out we was saying owt wrong shows what anarchism uk has become?

We support such events, but it has to appeal to all not just the few, that was our point, seems just another love in for the same old suspects shame as we need a mass movement, but play the AFED/SOL-FED 101 talks, there not hideing the facts in what is said..

One of the guys from Hull dropping in just to say that it was an awesome time, and that it was a great to meet others and expand my knowledge.

With regards to all the negative comments, I know some stuff was overpriced, but not all of it.
Perhaps if people want a bookswap etc they should suggest it next year and get involved in organising it, cos I'd love to see it.

The venue was good, we got a fair few people, but it was low key enough not to attract any of the wrong kind of attention. It wasn't anarchy in practice perhaps, but it was much better than nothing and something worth repeating. Lighten up folks.

Peace.

OK....so you concede that working class people as awhole with not be put off by the venue- afterall the compostion of our class is far from homogeneous. Anyway, why are you trying to play out the venue as some sort of club night? It was a building used because it was available, hardly due to its credientials as a nightclub. Are working class people put off of attending the London Anarchist Bookfair because it takes place in a University? I'd wager that this is more of a turn off to stereotypically cultural working class people than hosting it in a nightclub.

An AFed/Sol Fed love-in? Well from the pics I see books from Class War, Schunews and Green/veganarchist groups. Hardly literature that you'd expect to be flogged by the previously mentioned groups.

Anyway, isn't this underclassrising.net malarky just one guy, who people in the anarchist circles around Yorkshire openly avoid working with due to their negative attitude?

An AFed/Sol Fed love-in the book are not what one is going on here, play back some the recordings from the meetings, underclassrising have no time for Afed/Sol Fed we are not been negative in this, we will give prise when due ie well done in getting if not the first book fair going but a book fair going and bringing people together.

This said underclassrising is not just one guy and if you listen to rummours and lies of Sheffield Afed you would think one of us took some keys and gave them to the police? and so the misinformation keeps on going, fact is we disagree on politics, Sheffield Afed then lie about one person, this is named as divide and conquer much the same as they did with No War But The Class, they use the faults of The Working Class for their own gain, enough of this negative.

We was trying to offer information in reply to the comments on overpriced books etc, point people in the direction of other resources and yes we feel a nightclub is the wrong place to hold such an event it might just be us..

The nightclub wasn't perfect, but in true anarchist style people made the best of it, we arrived before it opened, it stunk of booze, was hard to find and was pitch black, then only 30 minutes later, people had made signs and placed them along routes, people had organised lamps to be brought in, the smell had been vented away (and i think a few people did a spot of cleaning). and then it wasnt so bad.
as we left I thought to myself, proud of the organisers, that it was true of our struggle that we adapt and make the best of things, and like true brits, had a moan and a grumble along the way (come on you know we all love grumbling).
all in all, well played to the organisers, you did a fab job, as did everyone who helped.
The two points i did want to make though,

The copper who turned up walked around for a good few minutes with a counting clicker thing. well done to the people wo calmly confronted him and escourted him out, the police should NOT be welcome at these events, and you did a great job at getting rid, without anyone getting nicked.

and I also wondered why only 1 direct action group where their? it seemed like only the hunt sabs where involving people activly in a struggle. perhaps in future more organisations could attend, as their where plently of people their and it would be nice to see a wider range of groups.

anyway, well done again, I enjoyed myself, and it seemed most people their did too!

...Yeh Venue very dark and dingy,stinking of stale beer...perfect for an Anarchist Bookfair.Personally I thought it was a Good Day had by all and a pat on the back to the organisers who put it all together........nice to see a variety of different stalls from different groups and people making contact with each other....a lot of people seemed to know that it was on and made the effort to get there.

Lets hope the Sheffield Anarchist Bookfair 2011 will be bigger. A mystery to see what underclassrising was going on about really if you know better get out and there and do it.

...Yeh Venue very dark and dingy,stinking of stale beer...Alcoholism is not something we should as anarchist endorse, people have made the point for me in there reply yes perfect for an Anarchist Bookfair i could not agree more, this is what we was going on about and before it is said ha but one of us has a drink problem, no we had one along with a drug addiction we used no state to come down from this, but our own free will, underclassrising having been at the end of Alcoholism see it for the problem it is holding such an event in a nightclub erm?

Hang on, are you genuinely accusing the organisers of holding the event in a nightclub so that they could have a dig at alcoholics/ex alcoholics, and not because it was a cheap, large and available space in the city centre which is easily accessible? Before you continue your paranoid ramblings, maybe you should check your facts. There was no alcohol for sale within the venue, only soft drinks. Some people brought their own booze into the place, but that was hardly a compulsory thing that the organisers enforced. I get the feeling that whatever the organisers had done, underclass rising would have found something to complain about.

Hang on, are you genuinely accusing the organisers of holding the event in a nightclub so that they could have a dig at alcoholics/ex alcoholics

Now where was this said? Of course not we are saying and it has been said in your own words
(Some people brought their own booze into the place), alcoholism is not something we should as anarchist endorse and there your are doing just that..

it was a cheap, large and available space in the city center which is easily accessible?

Those facts we do not disagree with, other than the accessible part dark and dingy was how one report back said the place was, accepted we need more social space for such events, so they are more open to the public..

Before you continue your paranoid ramblings, maybe you should check your facts..

As all ways Afed/Sol-Fed Attack the person or persons in this case we have checked out facts a nightclub is not the right place for such events, ie accessible?

We brought in the subject of alcoholism something that ensured the demise of Matilda has made other social centers un welcoming and in your words (Some people brought their own booze into the place) we know that all of us involved with underclassrising would not attend such an event due to that fact, we have been proven about right, and we posted on here to offer some positives re- read our first post of course there just paranoid ramblings of people who see anarchy more than just a lifestyle..

First off you said this: 'Yeh Venue very dark and dingy,stinking of stale beer...Alcoholism is not something we should as anarchist endorse' This implies, very heavily, that the event was 'endorsing alcoholism' by being held in the venue it was.

Secondly; one report back said that the venue started out as dark and dingy (and i admit, at the very start it was) before the organisers sorted out extra lighting and aired the place out, and then it was fine, most of the other reports back give a positive impression of the day. If you had actually bothered to go to the event yourself, maybe you would have been able to see for yourself instead of making ill informed comments on indymedia.

Thirdly; you accuse me of being Afed/Solfed. I am neither. I have read many of your posts before, and all you seem to do is blame AF and Solfed for every problem in the world, as if they are orchestrating some kind of elaborate plot. I think this demonstrates how utterly delusional you are, and gives way more credit to both those orgs (no offence to AF/Solfed, i just don't think you have that much of an impact on the working class as a whole, as neither are that big/well known).

Fourthly; The nightclub is smack in the city centre, reachable by a lot of different types of transport from all areas of the city and beyond, the organisers went out of their way to put up signs from a long way off to help get people to the venue, they provided a map on the bookfair website, and the venue was on the ground floor, and so wheelchair accessible (as there were a few disabled comrades present), i fail to see what else they could have done in terms of accessibility. Also, the 200 odd people who were there throughout the day managed to find it pretty easily.

Fifthly; the thing that secured the demise of Matilda was you handing the keys to the baliffs so the could happily stroll in whenever they pleased, not the spectre of alcoholism.

Lastly: your first post on the article is an advert for a bookshop and a complaint about the venue. Granted, you mention that you welcome the bookfair (which seems to clash pretty sharply with your statement that you would never want to attend it...) but yeah, you are right, a group of people who organised a bookfair attended by around 200 people, which helped give people access to new ideas and groups, and had some excellent and lively discussions is way more life-stylist that a lone man sitting on a laptop trolling internet forums.

Confused Sheffielder said:

First off you said this: 'Yeh Venue very dark and dingy,stinking of stale beer...Alcoholism is not something we should as anarchist endorse' This implies, very heavily, that the event was 'endorsing alcoholism' by being held in the venue it was.

* It was not my comment, but yes we think holding an event in a nightclub does and was 'endorsing alcoholism' by being held in the venue it was, we have said nothing more or less..

Confused Sheffielder said:

Thirdly; you accuse me of being Afed/Solfed no we did not, but said we would not attend such an event due to Afed/Solfed an utter difference is there not?

Confused Sheffielder said:

Fifthly; the thing that secured the demise of Matilda was you handing the keys to the baliffs so the could happily stroll in whenever they pleased, not the spectre of alcoholism.

* Such an open forum is not the place to debate this, but you need to get your information right, yes the keys was given over to the owners Yorkshire Forward, the background and reasons for this are long and very in depth, but on the morning the contractors arrived to our surprise we did all could to defend the building and people property in the building, it was muted we should just walk but no mozaz stood the ground and to his own detriment, and still paying the cost of taking that action but with no regrets in doing so as it was the right thing to do, and if you want to talk further then email him direct and he'll be as open and honest as with others on this and agree mistakes were made, the email is worldwarfreeatriseup.net here is not the place to talk.


Confused Sheffielder said:

Lastly: your first post on the article is an advert for a bookshop and a complaint about the venue. Granted, you mention that you welcome the bookfair (which seems to clash pretty sharply with your statement that you would never want to attend it...) but yeah, you are right, a group of people who organised a bookfair attended by around 200 people, which helped give people access to new ideas and groups, and had some excellent and lively discussions is way more life-stylist that a lone man sitting on a laptop trolling internet forums.

* You are very delusional in this comment, a lone man sitting on a laptop trolling internet forums, just where does the updates and images to underclassrising come from if this be fact? it needs to be made very clear we are a collective and mozaz form but a part of this, one is not the sum or whole and i fed back not advert for a bookshop, but one that had supported anarchism and those involved from 1967, sad reality is they need to pay wages electricity rates and so forth so they have to make an income, often at a loss to themselves, you might like to got talk with the people who work there instead of sitting in front a computer making crass allegations based of on nothing more than lies and rumours of Afed/Solfed there not the friends of the working class, far from it and neither are we the vanguard, please email mozaz direct and we are sure he will be open honest and frank shame others are not?