Donald Rooum was an English anarchist cartoonist and writer.
18 Facts About Donald Rooum
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Donald Rooum had an extremely long association with the Freedom newspaper in London, to which he regularly submitted his Wildcat comic strips.
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Donald Rooum registered as a conscientious objector but was pressured by his family into doing two years military service, starting January 1947.
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From 1954 to 1966 Rooum worked as a layout artist and typographer in London advertising agencies.
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Donald Rooum then worked as a lecturer in typographic design at the London College of Printing until 1983.
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Donald Rooum studied life sciences at the Open University from 1973 to 1979, and was awarded a first class degree in 1980.
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Donald Rooum was elected Member of the Institute of Biology and became a Chartered Biologist in 2004.
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Donald Rooum said that he first became interested in anarchism in 1944 when he visited Speaker's Corner in London while on a Ministry of Food scheme which used schoolboys to pick hops in Kent.
9.
Donald Rooum subscribed to War Commentary, thus beginning a connection with Freedom Press which continued for over sixty years.
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In 1949, Donald Rooum attended the annual Anarchist Summer School, which was held that year in Liverpool, and in which he 'made a memorable impact on the anarchist movement in general.
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Donald Rooum was a founding member of the Malatesta Club, an anarchist social club and venue that opened in London on May Day 1954.
12.
In 1963 Donald Rooum exposed police corruption during demonstrations against the Greek State Visit in July by King Paul of Greece and Queen Frederika.
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Donald Rooum proved that an offensive weapon had been planted on him.
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Donald Rooum held up a banner reading, "Lambrakis RIP", referring to a Greek MP and peace activist who had been murdered.
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In 1952, Philip Sansom invited Donald Rooum to draw a regular cartoon strip for The Syndicalist and he contributed Scissor Bill.
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Donald Rooum has had a long relationship, with interruptions, with Peace News, his first work appearing for them in 1962.
17.
In 1974, Sansom invited Donald Rooum to provide a cartoon for a monthly magazine he was working on, Wildcat.
18.
Donald Rooum drew the Sprite strip for The Skeptic magazine from 1987.