This Friday (26th July) we'll be curating an evening of hard to find cinematic gems at the Waterfront as part of Peachy; Fairy Revels. Expect a fairy themed dance party with DJs, bands, fire performance and film showings- like a festival without the rain.

10pm-3am - £6 Advance from UEA Box Office
£8 on the door

On which note, at the same time we'll be spreading oursleves thin by also taking The Travelling Library to HesFes, and marvelling at a hoard of blue-haired children, all of who can play chess better than any of us....

Now or Never!'s regular movie nights at Peachy have gone up in the world and will now be  held on the last Friday of the month at The Waterfront, Norwich. The first such shindig is "Value Vigilantes" on 31st May and features  Kunt and the Gang  - tickets can be booked in advance  at UEA Box Office.

Combining live music, film, DJs, walkabout performance, circus and fire performance, Peachy is for people who don't fit easily into boxes.  You can find out more about Peachy - Value Vigilantes on Facebook

Around 20 Unite memebers took  part in a protest outside the Trowse base of May Gurney today, to warn workers over the company's potential takeover by Kier. The company were involved in the blacklisting of workers who were union members or who spoke out about health and safety concerns, through the now defunct Consulting Agency.  Keir deny any involvement in blacklisting; however construction workers claim the practise is continuing, and Unite say that their members will continue to hold protests at May Gurney.

For more information on the practise of blacklisting and the history of the Consulting Agency check out our feature on  Blacklisting Bastards

“Freedom is the man that will turn the world upside-down, therefore no wonder he hath enemies.” - Gerrard Winstanley, Watch-Word to the City of London and the Armie, 1649.

Freedom Books, Britain's biggest Anarchist bookshop, was the victim of an arson attack at the end of January, causing damage to stock and fittings in the shop, in Whitechapel.

Fundraising events in solidarity with Freedom immediately began springing up around the country, including a mass clear-up of the damage. So when some like-minded individuals gathered at the Now or Never! Drinking Club, we decided it was time to do some fund raising of our own to help out. Some bright spark suggested a sponsored bike ride and, opposition being too disorganised to resist, the decision was taken.

Despite a poster campaign in the shady shops and back-street opium dens frequented by the ne'erdowells of Norwich, it was a very small, but highly motivated band who assembled on the edge of the City at dawn on 16th March. Are there any reading this who had thought to join us, but took one look at the weather & thought, 'You must be joking'? Well, the thought crossed our minds too as we set off on the 40 mile route in the teeth of a gale force easterly, straight off the North Sea. However, to quote from Winstanley again, “... action is the life of all, and if thou dost not act, thou dost nothing”. So think on...

The route took us along the back lanes that edge the Yare marshes, through the expanses of flat mud which constitute the Norfolk pastoral scene in winter. Pretty villages flashed by and the miles were eaten up as we kept up a happy stream of banter and took turns sheltering in each other's slipstream. At Reedham, we crossed the famous chain ferry and reached the half-way point, The Lord Nelson. Always publicity hungry, I prevailed upon a local rustic to take a group photo, but in all the excitement he either failed to operate the new-fangled device or I had an extra-strong 'Luddite moment' when setting it up, but either way, no visual record has survived. There followed a 4-hour break in the pub, involving heavy theoretical analysis of the future direction of the Movement, and resulting in food poisoning from the pub coleslaw.

The return journey, the wind being in our favour, was effortless apart from a visit from the puncture goblin and, our work concluded, we were back in time for tea.

If turn out for the ride was, er, limited, the generosity of sponsors was remarkable. Thanks to all. Between us we raised £660 through direct and online sponsorship, and have now presented Freedom Press with the time-honoured mattress-sized cheque so beloved of local newspapers.

The week after the ride I visited Freedom, and reconstruction was going well, with the bookshop functioning on the 2nd floor, and work in the offices unaffected. Without doubt, when work in finished it will be much improved. To hear about the fire must've been a bit of a shock to many, but hateful and misguided attacks such as this should not come as a surprise to us. And even in the 'liberal' environment of this bourgeois 'democracy', it remind us that, though we be few, we and our ideas still represent... a threat.

- Whisky Sour

Just incase you've had your head buried in the sand and missed it, Britian's largest anarchist bookshop, Freedom Books was firebombed on Friday.  Whilst no-one  as yet has taken credit for the attack, Paul Stott's  speculation as to who the culprits may be makes interesting reading. Unfortunately the shop was not insured, so donations are desperately needed, both financial or of books. Cheques or postal orders made payable to Freedom Press can be sent to Freedom Press, 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX.

Tonight the Now or Never! cinema will be  showing trashy 70’s horror films, rancid Grindhouse offerings and seedy exploitation films for your viewing pleasure at Peachy; A Night at the Hellfire Club.  

Peachy magazine is the latest offering from Norwich comedy club The Dysfunction Room - if you like dirty glitter, shameless glamour and beautiful hybrids (and who doesn't?) then come on down to Karma Kafe, Bedford Street, Norwich - 10pm - 3pm.  

Entry is £5 on the door £3 NUS. Dress code - "Bump and Grindhouse". 

5 years ago Mrs Saleh and her 3 children came to the UK seeking asylum after fleeing domestic abuse in Eygpt. They are under threat of honour-based violence, potentially death, if forced to return.  The Cardiff based family have a court date in November, but despite this at about 6am on Thursday their house was raided by UK Border Agency staff. Mrs Saleh and her 2 younger children were arrested in front of the older sibling, handcuffed and taken to Heathrow Airport to be deported. They missed the scheduled flight and were sent to Cedars detention centre where they currently remain. You can find out more details about their case, and the various ways in which it has been mishandled on the Save Saleh Family Facebook page

 Tonight No Borders South Wales issued the following statement

URGENT - they have issued the family with the details that they are going to put them on a charter flight PVT070 tomorrow morning. A charter is a private flight which has no members of the public involved

Please tweet @jonathanevansmp to ask him not to allow this morally unjust and brutal method of forced removal. This family deserve to be able to attend court on 13th November and receive a fair hearing of their case

Please share widely and help in anyway you can. 

What with senior police figures facing prosecution and 'retirement', scandals over Hillsborough, phone hacking & bludgeoning innocent newspaper sellers, you might think the image of P.C. Plod couldn't sink much lower. But you'd be wrong.

Local 'iconic brand' and notoriously under-performing cricketer Keith Skipper has launched a video in which he exhorts the populace to take part in voting for the 'Police & Crime Commissioner' for Norfolk. Not only does Skippy try to trick hard-working families into participating in this farcical stunt to legitimise yet another para-military bureaucrat, he delivers his 'message' by performing a 'rap' in supposed Norfolk dialect. Moist with the thrill of worshipping authority, Skippy tells us to "Show collective courage to keep the wrong'uns out", whilst cavorting in a peurile manner. Oh dear no. Not the sort of collective courage we have in mind...

Considering the musical merits of the piece, it remains unclear whether the Home Office will be taking legal action. Theresa May is reported to have been overheard saying, "This is appalling. First the riots and now this. Its a nightmare scenario!"

For some real hardcore vernaaacular rapping, check Andy Palmer's 'Hainford Hall Rap' 

In Portland, Oregan it could. Whilst investigating vandalism caused on May Day of this year, the FBI raided the home of 24 year old Leah-Lynn Plante, amongst others. Armed officers broke down her door with a battering ram, threw in a stun grenade and locked down the building. What could they have been looking for? Bomb making equipment? Child pornography? No,  the search warrant included normal household items such as paint and computers and more pointedly, black clothing and anarchist literature. Since then Leah and her co-defendant, Matt Duran have been subpoenaed and oredered before a Grand Jury - where the defendant is not allowed an attorney, and the events within the hearing are kept private. 

Leah refused to cooperate with the Grand Jury, meaning she could be facing jail for contempt of court. Whilst  clearly condemning the May Day vandalism, she says "The assumption that this is about broken windows on a courthouse is a false one," and argues that she and her co-defendants were targeted purely for their political beliefs; on the courtroom steps she claimed "This is a witch hunt."

You can read more about Leah and the others at Committee Against Political Repression

For those who don't know, Freedom Press produce the longest running Anarchist publication in the UK. Following near bankruptcy due to a copyright case involving photojournalist David Hoffman over a genuine mistake concerning the use of material in the book Beating the Fascists they are now in severe financial difficulties and will be holding a public discussion on  the future of the newspaper at the London Anarchist Bookfair in October - as well as asking people to commit to donations and to taking the paper on sale or return.

The Future of Freedom