Harrods stop stealing waiters' tips
Harrods, Knightsbridge, London.Sat 7 Jan 2017
The protesters go back to block the door of Harrods again
Rapper Potent Whisper is recording a video at the protest
Police follow the protesters as they move to a door at the corner
of Harrods
THe UVW hold up their giant cube with its message 'Harrods Stop Stealing
Our Tips'
Simon Elmer of Architects for Social Housing speaks about theQatari
Royal Family who own
Harrods and large areas of London and are fuelling the property crisis
Police wait opposite the protest as one protester gets arrested and
driven to the police station
Potent Whisper filming a new rap
Back outside Harrods
UVW General Secretary Petros Elias blows a plastic horn
and speaks to bring today's protest to an end - but warns they will
return to continue protests
until Harrods gives its workers all the other tips and recognises
the union.
I left as the protest had finished, but a few
minutes later as people were packing away, police came and made 4 more arrests.
People were kept in cells at Belgravia police station for up to 18 hours
(some had apparently been dragged inside Harrods by employees of Harrods
and kept at first in cells inside Harrods - and if so should have
a good case to sue for assault and wrongful arrest.) All were released without
charge (one apparently accepted a caution for letting off a flare) but on
police bail - with the condition that they were not to go withing 50m of
Harrods. It appears to be a deliberate abuse of the
law to try to stop protests at Harrods - however legitimate these
may be. Harrods and their owners, the Qatari royal family have many friends
in high places including the Foreigh Office and presumably these were able
to put pressure on the police to take action against the protesters.
But the protesters have received tremendous support
from the public and even from some of the right-wing press (perhaps because
Harrods is owned by foreigners) and the union and its supporters are unlikely
to be deterred. While those with bail conditions may keep to them, others
will be prepared to carry on the protest. The police action is likely to
make the protests larger and more vocal rather than diminish them.
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