Vandals spray-painted the windows at New Beacon Books

A BOOKSHOP owner whose store was vandalised has called on the police to “thoroughly investigate” incidents which could be racially motivated.

Michael La Rose, who runs New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, returned last week to find the windows spray-painted.

The shop specialises in works from Caribbean, Black-British, African and African-American authors, and it was the words “Black” which had been targeted by the perpetrator.

“It was a shock”, said Mr La Rose. “We’ve had attacks on the windows before. But it’s surprising every time it happens because we are dealing in books and ideas. Why would anyone want to attack a bookshop? You are attacking culture, attacking literature, attacking history”.

Mr La Rose added that recent years had seen threats against the Black community heightened.

He said: “There’s these general ideas of racism which are now mainstream with Reform and everything else, just shrouded in coded language of immigration and asylum seekers”.

The bookseller reported the incident to the police, but says they have still not returned to check CCTV footage or investigate.

“It’s not a question of being let down, because I didn’t have very high expectations anyway. But they don’t care, the actions speak for themselves. I would like the police to investigate it thoroughly, that’s what they are meant to be there for.”

Michael La Rose

New Beacon Books has occupied the address in Stroud Green Road for 60 years, since Mr La Rose’s father first moved there in 1975. Aged only six at the time when he arrived in the UK from Trinidad and Tobago, Mr La Rose recalled growing up around books from his early years.

“We were very much involved in education and culture and politics”, he told the Tribune.

“We had a supplementary school, schools that parents in the Black community started because of the lack of an holistic education from the British education system.”

A spokesperson for the Met said: “We take reports of racially motivated hate crime extremely seriously and recognise the profound impact such incidents can have on victims. Officers are committed to bringing those who commit such offences to justice.

“On Thursday, 2 April at around 14:15hrs, police received a report of racially aggravated criminal damage at a bookshop on Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park.

“Officers continue to carry out enquiries, including gathering CCTV footage. If anyone has any information relating to the incident, please contact police on 101 quoting CAD4104/02APR26.”