Socialist bookshop gets support from writers and poets.

A bookshop in London has gained support from some big names in the literary world after being attacked by right-wing thugs.

A group of 12 men emboldened by extreme right-wing rhetoric, one wearing a Donald Trump mask, entered Bookmarks bookshop as staff were closing up, intimidated staff, destroyed displays and magazines while shouting far-right slogans.

In a show of support and solidarity, crowds gathered outside the bookshop on Saturday to hear poets and writers speak out against racist, violent, and extreme rhetoric from the far-right.

Three of the attackers were UKIP members and have since been suspended from the party for their involvement in the intimidation and violence. Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, member of staff Noel Halifax spoke about the ordeal:

“They were very shouty, bellowing in your face, saying incoherent things. The books they were holding up and what they were saying about them made no sense. They grabbed hold of a book called Posh Boys, which is about how public schoolboys still run Britain, and accused us of being paedophiles for selling this book, saying, ‘You like boys, don’t you’. That sort of nonsense. They’d clearly been on a demonstration, because their placards were nothing to do with us. They were attacking the BBC, and they were wearing baseball hats saying ‘Make Britain Great Again’. One had a mask, oddly enough a Trump mask. I thought anti-Trump people wore Trump masks.”

Watch the ugly and ridiculous event unfold below.

Bookmarks Books volunteer Sophia Peach, thanked the many people who brought gifts and sent supportive emails, saying that the response has been uplifting and, “every cloud has a silver lining”.

Among the supporters this Saturday was Paul Holborow, founder of the Anti-Nazi league, who recognised the far-right activity as similar to what he saw in the 1970s. Florien Hubner, a teenager from Berlin, travelled there to show support because they were amazed and appalled that the events were happening in London “We have many attacks like this in Germany from Nazis but I thought it was better here. I was shocked when I found out,” he told the Guardian.

Author David Rosenberg warned how last week’s incident shows that the far right remain a “real threat”. He read extracts from his book which explores how fascists were prevented from marching through east London in 1936.

Michael Rosen, a For Reading Addicts favourite, wrote a poem especially for Saturday’s gathering. The poem reads: “It looks like we’ve got, yet another case of guys out rooting for the master race, invading a shop, being a bit of a pain, trying to make Britain great again.” Find the poem below.