Security Guards Hate Leaflets

Protests against companies accused of dodging taxes took place across the UK today, with protestors in Kendal, Cumbria targeting Topshop and Vodafone.  The group were met with swift action by shopping centre security guards, furious that anyone would dare to hand out leaflets to shoppers.  Violent removal followed.

Links: Other tax avoidance actions.

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Protests against companies accused of dodging taxes took place across the UK today, with protestors in Kendal, Cumbria targeting Topshop and Vodafone. The UK Uncut organisation has organised a national programme of mass action, which will involve retail stores being picketed, as well as sit-ins and flash mobs.

In Kendal a group of 10 stood outside Vodafone handing out leaflets to passersby. Some of the group also went to stand outside Topshop in the Westmorland Shopping Centre to continue handing out leaflets. What happened next shocked the group.

We just went over to Topshop and hadn't even handed out any leaflets when security guards came over and asked us to leave. When we said we were just going to hand out leaflets they said they didn't care and that they will drag us out if they have to. We said that we intended to express our democratic right to protest and then the security guards got violent.

Five people were then forcibly dragged out of the Centre. One of the group, Charlie Little, had her jacket torn and was dumped in a puddle outside.

Charlie Little said:

This is such a shock and a blatant attack on civil liberties. The Westmorland Centre seem to think that we are living in a police state where no-one has the right to say anything. All we were doing was handing out leaflets and not causing any problems at all, and the reaction of the Westmorland Centre is to silence the public and to turn violent. I thought security guards were there to protect the public, not to attack the public. They even stopped shocked bystanders from taking pictures of the security guards dragging people away, and banned people from the Centre for refusing to do so. We really have to ask ourselves what sort of world are we living in when this is how we respond to handing out leaflets. We are not living in a democracy. There's one rule for us and separate rules for the rich and powerful. A lot of people have had enough.

Local Chartered Accountant Stuart Jones, who witnessed the incident, called the police, who went through CCTV coverage of the incident and decided that no crime had taken place.

Charlie Little continued:

When the security guards asked the police to remove people they refused and said that no-one was causing any trouble. However they said that they couldn't intervene and so just watched as we were dragged away by security guards, even though we had committed no crime or caused any trouble at all.

The protestors vowed to continue their fight and called on people to boycott the Westmorland Shopping Centre until they allow people to exercise their democratic right without fear of violence.




You can read a round-up of actions in the North against the Tax Dodgers here.

Contact email: sonnykhan