4th OCTOBER 2002:
BORDERS SUMMON THOUGHT POLICE
Police bust book-signing: the first time in Europe since the Nazis?
Or just an everyday story of Oxford free speech?
Newspaper reports: Brighton Argus 15/10, Daily Telegraph 12/10 (photo-story),
Oxford Times 11/10, Oxford Mail 11/10, Oxford Student 10/10. Account by Rob Walters at Satin Demon.
Borders bookshop, 9 Magdalen Street, Oxford OX1 3AD, Friday 4th October
2002.
Andrew Malcolm is scheduled (contracted) to give a book-signing and
talk that evening, as advertised in leaflets (below), in The Oxford Times
and Oxford Daily Info that day (and previously), and on Borders' own
website. At lunchtime, the staff are notified that the event is to be
'cancelled'; they are given no explanation.
Borders:
books, music, cafe, bullshit
"4th October, 7.00 pm. ANDREW MALCOLM One of Oxford's most
controversial
figures introduces his books Making Names and The
Remedy."
4th October, 6.45 pm. Malcolm arrives, finds no window display, and people being turned away, told that he has "pulled out". The books are nowhere in the shop, and are eventually found locked in a back office. Malcolm removes the "event cancelled" notices on the tills, a small crowd gathers (15), and assembles downstairs in the Sport Section (yes) where the book-signings are held.
The talk begins.... the audience attends.
Enter the Stasi (led by A J Williams, General Manager); the meeting is
encircled.
"It has been deemed an inappropriate event... We do not have to give
a reason."
The punters turn, a Prof in the van.
(Rob Williams of Satin Demon behind him.)
3 squad cars back-up, 6-8 plod: a Literary in Mag Street.
Isn't that
the martrys' memorial? What's that smell?
Flak jackets on boys, it's meet-the-author time! ...The philosopher outmarched.
PC Dave commiserates.... advises suing Borders.... shakes a hand.
When the (thoroughly decent) police asked the Borders security men why
on earth they were breaking up an amiable scheduled talk, they were told: "We
have decided that Malcolm's books are rubbish."
The angry punters were invited by the bookshop staff (and advised by the
police) to make legal claims against Borders' Head Office and to draw attention
to this website. The person and address to write to is:
Vin Altruda (Borders Vice-President of
Operations)
Borders Incorporated
100 Phoenix Drive
Ann Arbor MI
48108
USA
telephone 001-734-477-1320, fax
001-734-477-1639
SUBSEQUENT QUOTES
"We have been told that nothing happened."
BBC Oxford newsroom
"We sincerely regret and apologise for the
cancellation of Andrew Malcolm's event in
Oxford, which should have gone ahead."
Vin Altruda, President, Borders International &
Philip Downer, Managing Director, Borders U.K.
CLICK FOR:
THE SURPRISING TRUTH ABOUT OUP'S 'CHARITABLE STATUS' THE OXBRIDGE COLLEGE ACCOUNTS INDEX AND OUP ACCOUNTS INDEX THE MALCOLM vs. OXFORD CASE INDEXES: I (1984-92) AND II (2001-02) THE HISTORY OF AKME AND OF THIS WEBSITE THE AKME OXFORD CUTTINGS LIBRARY THE AKME LITERARY LAW LIBRARY THE AKME STUDENT LAW LIBRARY ABOUT MAKING NAMES ABOUT THE REMEDY THE SITE INDEX
e-mail: akme@btinternet.com 