Nelson Bakewell’s auction today included many community buildings, so Hackney residents and others went along to Claridges ballroom to disrupt the sales and ask bidders not buy them.

The mobile spoof estate agent display was set up by the ballroom, with photos and descriptions of the spaces under threat. We leafleted bidders going in, telling them that there could be legal chalenges to development of these buildings. Some people dressed up to go inside, but the hotel allowed us all in – even after repeatedly throwing me off the fourcourt.

Stink bombs were let off inside, creating a clear hole in the crowd.

When a public toilet in Lower Clapton came up for sale, a man started singing “Where have all the toilets gone? – Long time passing”. He got a big round of applause and was pushed out by security.

Lots of people disrupted the sale of 1A Riverside Close. Described in the catalouge as a former show home, Nelson Bakewell had to admit at the sale that it had actually been a nursary. People sang ‘where have all the nurseries gone’, and shouted about this being a community building, stopping the sale until we were removed by security. We later discovered that it had been bought by a local community group during auction.