Beer punks and anarchist cafes: politics for profit

from Freedom News UK

Many could be forgiven for thinking it was a belated April Fools prank when, at the beginning of the month, Freedom Press released a statement reading that close to their premises in Whitechapel and out with their knowledge, the colossal Hilton hotel group had opened an upmarket cocktail bar bearing the name ‘Freedom Café’. Marketed towards “independent thinkers and coffee drinkers”, in true anti-consumerist fashion, the bar sells £14 cocktails named after book titles from the publishing house. Their menu comes in the style of an old pamphlet titled “Anarchist Weekly” and references the historic founding of the publishing house. Readers are enticed inside to find “anarchy, coffee, drinks, and comfort food”. Believe it or not, this appears not to be a joke.

The Hilton Opened an ‘Anarchist’ Cocktail Bar in London. The Drinks Are £14.

From Vice News by Simon Childs

The hotel chain changed the branding of its "Freedom Cafe" in East London, after a local anarchist group complained that it ripped them off.

East London anarchists have accused the Hilton hotel chain of copying their radical image and history as branding for a luxury bar for “wanky City types” where cocktails cost up to £14.

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