On Saturday 4 August, The Bookmarks Bookshop in central London was was attacked by a group who attempted to intimidate staff and customers and to destroy books and materials. Read the BBC report and Guardian article by David Gilchrist, the manager of Bookmarks.

The attack on the Bookmarks Bookshop by thugs carrying a ‘Make Britain Great Again’ sign is a disgrace that should make the politicians who fuel such politics of emotion deeply ashamed. William Shakespeare, John Milton, George Eliot, Salman Rushdie and all writers and readers who believe in sociality and the freedom of ideas are those who make Britain great. Without them, without the language and thought they enrich with each successive generation, there is no Britain, no treasure trove of the English language, no BBC, no television, no song, no Twitter.

Lisa Appignanesi, RSL Chair