1,000 visitors attend the 8th Dublin Anarchist Bookfair in Liberty Hall

Photo by: Colin Layde

The annual Dublin Anarchist Bookfair was held in Liberty Hall on 6 April, the event, which is organised by the Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM), is now in its eighth year.

The fair was attended not just by trade unionists but a wide range of campaign groups and activist organisations. Shell to Sea activists, animal rights groups and pro-choice campaigners were amongst the estimated 1,000 visitors to Liberty Hall.

Greg Kerr is a member of the WSM and the man responsible for organising the Anarchist Bookfair. He says the aim of the event is to bring together different activist organisations, in order to discuss topics of mutual interest.

“We bring together a lot of different campaigns and political organisations, who are involved in challenging different aspects of the current system,” he said.

This year marks the centenary of arguably the most significant industrial dispute in Irish history, the Dublin Lockout.

Many of the the discussions at the Anarchist Bookfair centred on the legacy of the 1913 dispute and its lessons for the trade union movement, speakers included Mr.Kerr, historian Dr. Brian Hanley and author Padraig Yates.

There were also public discussions on abortion, Irish immigration policy and gay rights.

Mr Kerr believes it is vital campaign groups work together if they are to be successful in achieving tangible reforms.

“It’s important to bring people together and look at different ways of organising campaigns, sharing ideas and helping to create new campaigns,” he said.