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Dave Walker is a cartoonist who runs a popular website, which includes the blogs We Blog Cartoons, Cartoon Church and The Cartoon Blog.

On the morning of July 22nd 2008 he received a cease and desist letter threatening legal action unless he removed 75 posts from his Cartoon Church blog by lunchtime - i.e., half a day’s notice.

These 75 posts had reported the deterioration and alleged mismanagement over a 2 year period in a UK book chain called SPCK, which had been taken over by a company run by Mark Brewer. Dave Walker’s was the main published source reporting the situation, asking questions about the management of the chain, and highlighting the treatment of the employees.

We do not think that reasonable comment should be closed down like that, and we are working to support him.

This article is aiming to help Media Reporters and anybody else find the key information quickly.

Dave Walker is a cartoonist who runs a popular website, which includes the blogs We Blog Cartoons, Cartoon Church and The Cartoon Blog.

On the morning of July 22nd 2008 he received a cease and desist letter threatening legal action unless he removed 75 posts from his Cartoon Church blog by lunchtime - i.e., half a day’s notice.

These 75 posts had reported the developing situation over a 2 year period in a UK book chain called SPCK, which had been taken over by a company run by Mark Brewer. Dave Walker’s was the main published source reporting the situation, asking questions about the management of the chain, and highlighting the treatment of the employees.

Dozens of bloggers do not think that reasonable comment should be closed down like that, and we are working to support him.

This article is an Introduction to the Campaign to what we are doing and how you can help.

This post is a straightforward list of blogs and websites posting about the legal threat made against cartoonist Dave Walker by Mark Brewer to force him to take down his reporting and comment about the SPCK bookshop chain’s takeover and management by the Society of Saint Stephen the Great (SSG). I followed the story, and my view is that Dave has been careful almost to a fault to stay the right side of the “defamation” line; I would happily repost everything here.

But this list is not primarily about taking a view of the SPCK/SSG “affair”; it is about the right to discuss it in public and not have anyone try and close down debate by having (or claiming to have) access to a bigger legal bludgeon. The list is articles I am aware of that have been posted; they are listed in the order I found them.

Cartoon: Lingamish

If you would like to be added to it, please email me at mattwardman at gmail dot com using the subject line “My Name is Dave Walker” with the complete webaddress of the article you have posted, and who you are. Or make a comment here.

We have another blogosphere Libel Action. More details later.

Dave Walker, the official Lambeth Conference Cartoonist in Residence, has taken 75 posts down on his blog after being threatened with Libel Action by the new owner of SPCK - the oldest chain of Anglican Bookshops. He has been reporting the story of alleged mismanagement for two years.

Already there are a lot Industrial Tribunals from ex-employees, among other things.

This post list of resources that you can use, places where you can make your points, and some suggestions for further things to do. Everything on this page is under a Creative Commons License, and can be used on your own sites and to make further work.

Briefly, Dave Walker, the official Lambeth Conference Cartoonist in Residence, has taken 75 posts down on his blog after being threatened with Libel Action by the new owner of SPCK - the oldest chain of Anglican Bookshops. He has been reporting the story of alleged mismanagement for two years. Already there are a lot Industrial Tribunals from ex-employees, among other things.

For details of the case, please see my other articles.

There’s a new Libel threat to close down Yet another Blogger.

Of all people Dave Walker - the Artist in Residence at the Lambeth Conference - has been sent a cease and desist letter at half-a-day’s notice to take down all posts (75+) relating to the reporting of the new management of the SPCK bookshop chain SPCK bookshop chain by the Society of St Stephen the Great, which he has been covering for 2 years.

Dave has been keeping a close eye on all of this, and providing a forum for people to share news about the chain. He has been told he’ll be sued unless all SPCK posts are removed from his website.

This does not seem like a good way to do it quietly - The Lambeth Conference is crawling with Journalists looking for “different” stories.