Q&A: Friends of the Joiners Arms

The Friends of the Joiners Arms (FOTJA) are campaigning to save the Joiners Arms on Hackney Road, a former queer bar which closed in 2015 under property development pressure. FOTJA are aiming to turn it into a community-led, not-for-profit LGBTQ+ venue – a space that “demands radical change”. In this Q&A FOTJA discuss their support for other campaigns fighting the closure and privatisation of spaces in the city, and their community shares campaign to keep the Joiners Arms in the community’s hands.