Ian Rankin shows his support for Edinburgh bookshop that closed its doors due to 'a series of threats'

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The author took to Twitter on Monday to share that he had bought some books online as it was “only way he could think to help”.

Lighthouse Bookshop in West Nicolson Street announced on social media on Sunday that it had decided not to open on Monday, June 14, out of concern for the safety of its staff.

A notice at the premises said: “We’ve been facing heightened levels of harassment lately and today it didn’t feel safe to open the shop. We are sorry we can’t be here in person for you.

"You can find us on our website www.lighthousebookshop.com.”

The shop describes itself as “a queer-owned and woman led independent community bookshop” and “an unapologetically activist, intersectional, feminist, anti-racist, LGBTQ+ community space”.

Mr Rankin was one of hundreds of people who spoke out to support the shop – a nominee for Scotland’s Best Independent Bookshop in 2020 – after it shared the news.

The post has been liked over 6,500 times and has over 1,000 retweets, it read: “Our booksellers are real people. You might not like what we stand for, but you have no right to threaten our humans or make us feel unsafe at work.

“Today’s latest threat, pinned to our doors after weeks of harassment, had us choose safety & selfcare. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

Mr Rankin said he hoped that buying some books online would help to minimise the loss of income incurred on Monday.

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