Category Archives: BRHG

Saturday 9th of June 4:00pm

Reading of the Heathcote Williams poem by Jasper Britton

Handsome Dog Productions/ Bristol Radical History Group

Royal Babylon comes to Bristol as part of a ‘road show’ that also includes Moscow, London, Dundee and Edinburgh. Actors Jasper Britton and Sean McCann will give a live  reading of Heathcote William’s poem to accompany screened images and footage.

To coincide with the Royal Jubilee the filmmaker collective at Handsome Dog have created a multimedia exhibition mixing the Best of British Rock, Punk, Pop and Electronic music (from bands such as Radiohead, The Sex Pistols, The Smiths and Primal Scream) with stills and archive footage to retell Heathcote Williams’ investigative poem “Royal Babylon:

Heathcote Williams has been a poet and agitator on “the last few things worth discussing” since his early twenties and his poem “Royal Babylon” was published on the internet in November 2011 to great acclaim and attention, with endorsements from fellow republicans Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and Morrisey (Smiths) amongst others.

Heathcote Williams is celebrated for many reasons; as writer, actor, painter, even conjurer. Heathcote’s foray into diplomacy came in 1977 when he became Ambassador to Great Britain for a London squat called Frestonia which declared independence. His epic ecological poems such as Whale Nation and Autogeddon were loved by a readership far beyond the usual poetry-reading circles. He continues to paint, poetise and rant on matters topical and historical.

Though no true poet needs a prompt, the current action against worldwide greed in the form of “Occupy London” served as fuel to the Republican fire for Mr.Williams and explains why he has dedicated so much time and research to the monarchy subject:

“There is a robust history in British Culture of anti-Monarchist feeling. I only hope that, since the information revolution, British People now have the courage to follow their artists’ lead.

The exhibition was originally mounted for the National Centre for Contempory Art Moscow (as part of a series of exhibitions entitled “Why Democracy?”).

If you advocate the nature of debate, recognise the excessive spending of the last two years on Royal antics and the gross waste of national resources in a time of financial crisis or are just opposed to the continued unquestioning state recognition of monolithic institutions, and un-democratically elected bodies… then this is for you…

Margaret Cox curator, creative producer, “Royal Babylon”

Handsome Dog Productions

BRHG

Saturday 5th May 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Speaker: Lee Groves (Bristol Radical History Group)
Price: Donations

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the ‘Barcelona Maydays‘ an uprising in response to the Republican Government’s attempt to seize power in revolutionary Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War. Tensions had been building over several months between the anarcho-syndicalist CNT membership and the Soviet controlled Republican army which centred on the questions of militarisation and ‘War or Revolution’?

When armed ‘Communist Party’ units attacked the Telephone exchange in Barcelona, thousands of workers responded with an initially ‘successful’ armed insurrection. The Friends of Durruti group were central within this opposition and openly criticised the collaboration of the CNT leadership with the Republican Government.

This talk will examine the events of May 1937, why and how the insurrection was eventually defeated as well as the actions and arguments of the Friends of Durruti group. The fundamental question remains ‘should the anarchists have seized power to further the revolution’?

Date: Friday 4th 6:00pm – 7:30 pm

Speaker: Roger Ball (Bristol Radical History Group)

Price: Donations

On Tuesday May 4th 1886 near the Haymarket, Chicago, police attempted to violently disperse 200 remaining members of a peaceful demonstration called to protest about the police killing the day before of two workers at a strike at the McCormick Reaper Works. As the police moved against the crowd a bomb was thrown by an unknown person which killed a police officer and in the ensuing chaos the police opened fire killing and wounding demonstrators and police alike.

In the days following the incident hundreds of workers were rounded up by the authorities and eighteen months later four anarchist labour organisers were executed, another committed suicide and several others were given life imprisonment. The trial was seen worldwide as a travesty of justice and an attack on those fighting for the 8 hour working day.

May 1st became workers day, labour day, Mayday commemorating the incident in the Haymarket in 1886. This talk will look at the history of the events, the strange narratives of the memorials and how Mayday is remembered in Chicago.