Criminal Justice & Immigration Bill
8 May 2008
The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 receives Royal Assent, passing into law. This criminalises the possession of "extreme" images, even if the activity they depict is legal. Reaction is required. Multiple, if somewhat subdued, protests take place, including the symbolic burning of soon-to-be-outlawed literature in front of the British Library. We are heartbroken to be selling books bound for "the stake", and spend ages leafing through them as we bid each goodbye. We call publishers of some of the titles to discuss matters, and train our staff. To further spread the word, we put on the "Extreme Porn" exhibition of Geoff The Fetishman's comic art, which humorously summarises our views on this serious matter. Nevertheless, from the beginning of 2009 it is illegal to possess any image featuring "serious injury to the breasts or the genitalia", regardless of participants or consent given.