Dec 4, 2022: Statement about "Scabs" Stickers

By now, many of us in the Dickens Christmas Fair (DCF) community have seen and heard reports of the stickers left around the site that referred to current DCF participants as "scabs".

The stickers have been removed. The individual who was distributing them has reportedly been spoken to by several of DCF's leadership, and it seems unlikely that this incident will repeat itself. These stickers were hurtful and divisive, and though we understand that the person distributing them meant to be humorous and not to cause harm, that intent did not come across. Many people, regardless of their position on the boycott, felt that these stickers did not belong at DCF.

While the issue appears to be largely resolved at present, the London Solidarity Network (LSN) feels it pertinent to clarify something:

No one is a scab.

The LSN has called for a boycott, not a general strike. Though many have chosen to withhold their labor and patronage as part of the boycott, it is still not a general strike. As such, no one who participates in DCF while the boycott is in effect is a scab.

For those who might think that the LSN and other boycotters are adversaries of Red Barn Productions (RBP) or DCF: we are not, nor have we ever tried to be. None of us are having fun boycotting.

Every person who is boycotting is missing out on something they love, something that was for many of us a huge part of our lives. Those of us who are boycotting are sacrificing our experience of DCF in order to make it safer and more equitable for everyone. We are exerting external pressure in order to create change. Some people in the LSN are not actually boycotting, but are trying to create change from the inside, working within their groups and talking to RBP management to improve the conditions and culture of DCF. Both are valid methods of advocacy in our eyes.

Moving forward, we ask all within the DCF community to make an effort to stop and think before speaking or acting. We should be kind to each other. Ultimately, people on both sides of the divide want a safer DCF that we can all share, not one that is mean-spirited and exclusionary.

Thank you,

The LSN