I see regular short videos on Twitter of individuals, usually men, dressed up in bright green hoodies holding children’s’ books aloft in libraires around the country.
They appear to be protesting about the content of the books in question and have an opinion about the suitability of these books for their intended end user.
Library staff have a difficult job dealing with this type of protest which gives rise to a number of questions for the employer of the library staff.
Questions around
- the health and safety obligations of the employer in providing a safe place of work,
- the employer’s duty of care to its staff,
- providing a safe place for the users of the library,
- how to respond to these protests and any haranguing, offensive behaviour to which the library staff are subjected.
These questions are only some of the questions which will have to be dealt with sooner or later.
One thing I do know.
Protests about books down through the centuries have not ended well.