Editing Freedom Press (section)

===Post-War===

[[File:Freedom Press door.jpg|thumb|right|The Freedom Press door in 2014]]
''[[War Commentary]]'' was published with an overtly anti-militarist message, co-operating heavily with the pacifist movement, and in November 1944 the homes of several collective members were raided along with the offices of the press itself. When Richards, [[Marie-Louise Berneri]], [[John Hewetson]] and [[Philip Sansom]] were arrested at the beginning of 1945 for attempting "to undermine the affections of members of His Majesty's Forces,"<ref name="freedom">''George Orwell at Home'' pp 71-72 Freedom Press (1998)</ref> [[Benjamin Britten]], [[E. M. Forster]], [[Augustus John]], [[George Orwell]], [[Herbert Read]] (chairman), [[Osbert Sitwell]] and [[George Woodcock]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Orwell Today|url=http://www.orwelltoday.com/readerorwellanarchy.shtml|access-date=8 July 2014}}</ref> set up the [[Freedom Press Defence Committee]] to "uphold the essential liberty of individuals and organizations, and to defend those who are persecuted for exercising their rights to freedom of speech, writing and action."<ref name="In Front of Your Nose">Orwell, Sonia and Angus, Ian (eds.). ''The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell Volume 4: In Front of Your Nose (1945–1950)'' (Penguin)</ref>

In 1961, Freedom began producing ''[[Anarchy (magazine) |Anarchy]]'', a well-regarded series with noted front pages designed by [[Rufus Segar]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Picturing Anarchy: The Graphic Design of Rufus Segar|url=http://rectoversoblog.com/2011/06/27/anarchy-rufus-segar/|website=Recto Verso|access-date=11 July 2014}}</ref> and seven years later the press moved to its current premises at 84b Whitechapel High Street after Whitechapel Art Gallery bought out 84A. At this point the press was entirely owned and run by Richards. However, in 1982 he transferred ownership of the building to ''The Friends of Freedom Press'', a company which was limited by guarantee and without share capital. Richards also relinquished control over the paper's running from 1968, though would return periodically in editorially difficult moments and retained overall control of the press.<ref name="Freedom History" /><ref name="Information for Social Change"/>

In 1981 the printing function of the press was once again lost, with several members of the printing collective spinning off those functions into [[Aldgate Press]] using money raised by Richards.<ref name="Freedom History" />

The bookshop was repeatedly attacked in the 1990s by [[neo-fascist]] group [[Combat 18]] during street conflicts between fascist and anti-fascist groups in the East End and eventually firebombed in March 1993. The building still bears some visible damage from the attacks, and metal guards have been installed on the ground floor windows and doors, intended to ward against any further violence.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/zsqqLIbPbeA Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20101030233623/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsqqLIbPbeA Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite news|title=The Terror Squad|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsqqLIbPbeA#t=266s|access-date=8 July 2014|agency=World in Action|publisher=Granada|date=April 1993}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

A second arson attack occurred on 1 February 2013, causing significant damage, but no-one was hurt.<ref>{{cite web|title=Freedom bookshop torched|url=https://libcom.org/news/freedom-bookshop-firebombed-01022013|website=libcom.org|access-date=8 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/04/freedom-press-oldest-radical-bookshop-arson-attack
|title=Britain's oldest radical bookshop is burned, but the ideas survive
|last=Gee
|first=Tim
|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]
|date=4 February 2013}}</ref> Donations allowed the press to survive, however cash losses from the paper forced its closure as a monthly publication in 2014,<ref name="libcom archive">{{cite web|title=Freedom Newspaper, 2014|url=http://libcom.org/library/freedom-october-2014|website=libcom.org|access-date=22 June 2017}}</ref> though free versions of the paper continue to be produced. In 2017 the press launched an archive, digitising more than 1,500 back issues of the paper covering the 1886–2020 period.<ref>{{cite web |title=Notes on the Freedom Anarchist Newspaper Archive |url=https://libcom.org/blog/notes-freedom-anarchist-newspaper-archive-21022018 |website=libcom.org |access-date=7 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

In March 2018 Freedom was made a core participant in the [[Undercover Policing Inquiry]], following confirmation that former undercover Met officer Roger Pearce had written in the paper in 1980–81, mostly on Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Met spychief who infiltrated Freedom Press|url=https://freedomnews.org.uk/roger-pearce-infiltrated-freedom-press/|website=Freedom News|date=24 March 2018|publisher=Freedom Press|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref>