Five members of a Hong Kong union "behind a series of children's books about sheep trying to hold back wolves from their village have been arrested for sedition," AFP (via the Guardian) reported. The arrests were made by the new national security police unit, which is spearheading a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
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| Hong Kong police officer displays one of the allegedly seditious books. | |
Police said in a statement that the two men and three women, aged between 25 and 28, had "conspired to publish, distribute, exhibit or copy seditious publications" in an attempt to stir up "the public's--and especially young children's--hatred towards Hong Kong's government and judiciary and to incite violence and illegal acts."
They are members of the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists, the Guardian wrote, noting that in recent months the union had published three illustrated books--Guardians of Sheep Village, Janitors of Sheep Village and The 12 Braves of Sheep Village--that "try to explain Hong Kong's democracy movement to children. Democracy supporters are portrayed as sheep living in a village surrounded by wolves."
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| Peter Florence | |
Hay Festival director Peter Florence has resigned from his position after the organization's board unanimously endorsed an investigation upholding an allegation of bullying made against him. The Bookseller reported that Florence, "who co-founded the festival in 1988 with his parents, was suspended last October while the panel reviewed the complaint by a member of staff. Florence has been signed off sick ever since."
In a statement, Hay said: "This decision followed a thorough and extensive process, which considered substantial supporting evidence. As the board gathered to conclude the internal process, Mr. Florence resigned with immediate effect. The board will now be seeking new leadership for the world-renowned non-profit organization."
Since Florence's suspension, finance director and interim CEO Tania Hudson has led the team, delivering its digital events in December and May. Hay Festival International director Cristina Fuentes continues to run global events.
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In South Africa, Cape Town Etc. invited readers to "step into a world of magic and explore" the city's finest bookshops: "While online shopping has made life simple and convenient, it just doesn't compare to the feeling of stepping into a bookshop and physically browsing for the best buys. There are always rare gems to be found while rummaging through a huge pile of books and this makes the adventure so much more exciting!"
Featured booksellers included Bikini Beach Books ("once you enter through the doors, you're bound to be blown away and mesmerized"), the Bookworm ("this bookshop blends nature with literature to give you the ultimate experience"), and the Book Lounge ("an independent bookshop for hungry minds, just waiting to dig into any and every genre").
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Congratulations to Canadian bookseller Russell Books, Victoria, B.C., which celebrated its 60th anniversary last weekend. "We've come a long way from the original Russell Books, founded by Reg Russell in Montreal in 1961 (pictured)," the bookshop posted on Facebook. "Now in our third generation as a family-owned book store, we have grown and evolved in so many ways thanks to our thriving community of book-loving customers in Victoria and worldwide. We have lots of fun events planned today, so come down to the store and help us celebrate (see details on our earlier post). We are so grateful for the support of our amazing, community of dedicated readers! We couldn't have done it without you!" --Robert Gray