My expectations were high, and I was not disappointed over the weekend

~  Don B ~

The 9th Annual Derry Radical Bookfair took place last weekend (1 February), in a city that has a long history of radical political action. It is organised by local anarchists and a team of volunteers, and I had the privilege of being invited to attend alongside anarchists from North East Anarchist Group (NEAG).

The bookfair was hosted at the Pilots Row Community Centre in the Bogside, which is within close proximity to the infamous “You are Now Entering Free Derry” corner and various republican and left-wing murals. I was pleased to see so many Palestinian flags flying on lamp-posts as I walked to the bookfair, alongside some graffiti declaring ‘Victory to Gaza’.

At the bookfair many groups represented the struggle for Palestinian liberation, alongside other campaign groups such as Derry Anarchists Collective, Leathbhádóirí (Feminist Irish Language Collective), Alliance for Choice and many more. Among the various booksellers were Connolly Books, PM Press, Irish Resistance Books, and Barricade Distribution. I tried to go around as many stalls as I could, and everyone was friendly and willing to chat about current campaigns and struggles, which meant a lot to me as a visitor.

Alongside the stalls and book-launch events the day also had multiple talks and workshops. Topics ranged from Decolonising Derry, sex worker organising in Ireland and workplace unionising to workshops for sign-making and letter-writing to prisoners (hosted by yours truly).

It was a shorter bookfair than I am used to, at only 5 hours, but I found this was all that was needed. There was a range of ages and personalities present throughout the day, and there was an amazing atmosphere of solidarity around the place.

What stood out to me was how the bookfair appears to view itself. In bookfairs there can sometimes be excessive focus on the event itself, whereas the Derry Radical Bookfair always coincides with the Bloody Sunday commemoration march. Many of us attended this the next day, and it allowed for us to continue conversation and solidarity with our old and new comrades from the bookfair. The march itself was a firm rejection and condemnation of British imperialism and aggression, alongside an unapologetic show of solidarity with Palestine—and, beautifully, not a single cop in sight.

Overall there was a lovely atmosphere at both the bookfair and the march, with committed local activists and volunteers as well as national and international groups being represented. The hospitality given us as visitors by the organisers and other hosts, who fed us and made us feel welcome, was an amazing show of solidarity and love. This was extended not just to us but to almost everyone who visited from outside Derry.