When Andrew Malcolm went to Oxford to talk about his feud with the city's university, he might have expected trouble. The controversial Brighton author was to appear at a bookshop to read from his new book The Remedy which promises to "name names" and tell "the whole truth", quoting verbatim courtroom testimony from his legal battle with Oxford University Press (OUP). The book also accuses the OUP of abusing its tax exempt status - a claim the publisher strongly denies.
So his appearance at the Oxford branch of Borders was always going to be controversial. In the end, it took five minutes for it to descend into chaos when store staff asked the author and his audience to leave - then called the police. Mr Malcolm attempted to continue his reading as the audience was escorted out by officers amid scenes of uproar. The 53-year-old author was eventually led outside by police. He is now accusing Borders of depriving him of freedom of speech.
Borders say the talk had been cancelled a week earlier but Mr Malcolm chose to ignore the decision. The store had publicised the event before calling it off, saying it feared a low turnout. Convinced people would turn up anyway, Mr Malcolm travelled from Brighton so as not to let them down. Twelve people turned up but, as Mr Malcolm launched into his reading, staff began to remove chairs and tables claiming the author and his audience were trespassing.
Mr Malcolm said: "It was not so much Nazi Germany as Monty Python. Now we know what free speech means in Oxford. In a way it's flattering. I never realised what I have to say is so dangerous."
Philip Downer, UK managing director of Borders books and music, said slows sales of Mr Malcolm's books suggested that the talk would attract little interest. "Mr Malcolm chose to arrive in any case and staged an impromptu event in the store. The manager felt it prudent to call police to avoid a disturbance. We're always disappointed when we have to cancel an event and it was unfortunate some members of the public were unaware of the change of programme."
Mr Malcolm has been involved in a six-year feud with OUP after it declined to publish his first book. He took them to court for breach of contract and, although a settlement was reached, he was left with a £12,500 legal bill. Mr Malcolm said he believed the OUP, part of Oxford University, had brought pressure on Borders to cancel his appearance.
The OUP and the university denied being involved in the decision to cancel the talk. OUP spokeswoman Caroline Mainprize said: "We were not even aware that it was taking place."