Hackney People's Press: Centerprise Fire Attack
Object
Newspaper
Production date
September 1977
Object number
2026.15
Physical Description
Hackney People's Press newspaper (Centerprise Fire Attack) September 1977 No. 26
Object history
September 1977 issue of the Hackney People's Press. The headline story for this issue is 'Centerprise Fire Attack', which describes an act of arson on the Centerprise bookshop in Kingsland High Street that took place on the 15th of August. The story claims this was a politically and racially motivated attack on the bookshop, mentioning similar acts of violence on other establishments by right-wing extremists at the time.
Associated Organisation
Hackney People's Press (Publisher)
Associated Place
Material
Paper
Dimension
Height (Cover): 302mm
Width (Cover): 215mm
Width (Cover): 215mm
On display?
No
Inscription
Centerprise Fire Attack
On the night of Monday 15th August, petrol was poured through the letterbox of the Centerprise bookshop in Kingsland High Street and set alight. Fortunately the blaze was spotted before it got out of control and the Fire Brigade contained the damage to the front of the bookshop. Even so, at least £1000 worth of damage was done. A whole display of Centerprise's own publications of writing by local working people was destroyed, and the bookshop, redecorated just six weeks ago, will now have to be painted once more.
Quite obviously, the attack - just two days after the mass anti-fascist demonstration at Lewisham (see pp.2 and 3) - was the latest in a series of attempts by local racist thugs to frighten and destroy the work of the project. A thriving community centre where black and white can meet, talk and drink coffee and a bookshop stocking a wide range of radical and political titles as well as general books is an obvious affront to those whose "policies" are built on prejudice and hate.
In the last few months progressive and community bookshops all over London have been attacked in a wave of right-wing extremist violence. The Unity bookshop in Harlesden was also firebombed. Slogans were daubed over the Bogle l'Ouverture shop in Ealing and the New Beacon bookshop in Finsbury Park. The Atlas bookshop in Southall has also been attacked.
On the night of Monday 15th August, petrol was poured through the letterbox of the Centerprise bookshop in Kingsland High Street and set alight. Fortunately the blaze was spotted before it got out of control and the Fire Brigade contained the damage to the front of the bookshop. Even so, at least £1000 worth of damage was done. A whole display of Centerprise's own publications of writing by local working people was destroyed, and the bookshop, redecorated just six weeks ago, will now have to be painted once more.
Quite obviously, the attack - just two days after the mass anti-fascist demonstration at Lewisham (see pp.2 and 3) - was the latest in a series of attempts by local racist thugs to frighten and destroy the work of the project. A thriving community centre where black and white can meet, talk and drink coffee and a bookshop stocking a wide range of radical and political titles as well as general books is an obvious affront to those whose "policies" are built on prejudice and hate.
In the last few months progressive and community bookshops all over London have been attacked in a wave of right-wing extremist violence. The Unity bookshop in Harlesden was also firebombed. Slogans were daubed over the Bogle l'Ouverture shop in Ealing and the New Beacon bookshop in Finsbury Park. The Atlas bookshop in Southall has also been attacked.