Protesters Plan Oxford Street Occupation Over Cuts

Protesters and union members in Sheffield on March 12 during the Liberal Democrats Spring Conference. Five thousand of an expected ten thousand marched through the city centre of the deputy Prime Minister's home town. About a dozen protesters tried to occupy shops in the Fargate shopping area but were moved on by police.(Epoch Times)

Protesters from are planning to occupy banks and retailers in London’s Oxford Street on March 26 to demonstrate against public spending cuts. The group, UK Uncut, which targets companies accused of tax-dodging, also plans to occupy a “secret target”. This will coincide with a London march organised by the TUC (Trade Union Congress), which is expected to be attended by more than 100,000 people.

 Activist Laura Carpenter said in a press release that “the government say there is no alternative to the cuts. March 26 is the day that people from across the UK come together to show that they will not tolerate this lie.

“The government is making a political choice to cut and privatise public services whilst there are clear alternatives, like making the banks pay for the crisis that they caused or clamping down on tax dodging by corporations and rich individuals.”

UK Uncut’s first protest was the occupation of Vodafone’s flagship London store on October 27, 2010, a week after Chancellor George Osborne announced drastic cuts in public spending. The group intended to protest against an alleged £6 billion tax dodge by Vodafone. Since then, the group has temporarily shut down scores of high street stores and banks.

In November 2010, the group announced it would target Arcadia, a fashion conglomerate headed by Sir Philip Green, who has been tasked by Prime Minister David Cameron to carry out an efficiency review of government spending and procurement. Arcadia is owned by a company based in the tax haven of Jersey, which is itself owned by Green’s wife, a resident of the tax haven of Monaco. In December 2010, the group disrupted Arcadia-owned stores across England and Scotland. The group has also shut down Boots and Tesco stores over alleged tax avoidance.

UK Uncut states on its website: “The brutal cuts to services about to be inflicted by the current government are unnecessary, unfair and ideologically motivated. The coalition are particularly fond of two obscene catchphrases: ‘There is no alternative’ and ‘We’re all in this together’. Both slogans are empty and untrue. The cuts will dismantle the welfare state, send inequality sky-rocketing and hit the poorest and most vulnerable hardest.

“A cabinet of millionaires have decided that libraries, healthcare, education funding, voluntary services, sports, the environment, the disabled, the poor and the elderly must pay the price for the recklessness of the rich.”

Other anti-capitalist groups are calling for direct action during the march. One group called Resist26 is planning an overnight occupation of Hyde Park from March 26th until 5 p.m. on March 27th. The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, a student organisation which helped organise the student protests against increased tuition fees in 2010, is calling for students to join the London event.